The Aim: Following the Children and Families Act (2014) Local Authorities must involve children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in reviewing the special educational provision in their area and planning future provision. As part of one council's review of its special educational provision, the views were…

Local authority music services have held a central place in the UK's music education landscape since the end of the Second World War. Nonetheless, the provision of these services has always been a non-statutory responsibility, and local levels of opportunity have varied in response to prevailing economic and political climates, along with broader…

While internationally there is a growing body of work investigating mainstreaming of English as an additional language (EAL), this topic has not featured strongly in research in the United Kingdom, and there are only a few studies that focus on the extent to which government policies and prescriptions concerning EAL students are actually being…

Further education (FE) has traditionally been a rather unspectacular activity. Lacking the visibility of schools or the prestige of universities, for the vast majority of its existence FE has had a relatively low profile on the margins of English education. Over recent years this situation has altered significantly and further education has…

Sociological research on the presence and yet invisibility of asylum-seeking and refugee pupils in the educational system in the UK is noticeably absent. This article offers insights into the ways in which the presence and the needs of such pupils are conceptualised by local authorities and schools. It draws on the results of a survey of 58…

Section 28 (part of the Local Government Act of 1988) was a notorious piece of legislation that sought to prevent local education authorities in the UK from "promoting homosexuality". The effect of Section 28 was to create uncertainty and fear among teachers as to what was (and what was not) permitted in schools. Over time practitioners…

During the last 2 years, Britain's Department for Education and Skills (DfES) has commissioned several pieces of research into various aspects of home education. These items of research have served to illustrate several of the most pressing local authority concerns with regard to the educational outcomes, socialisation and welfare of children…

Few topics evoke more emotion than how to discipline children in public schools. And not many people are neutral in their views toward corporal punishment. Surprisingly, the United States stands almost alone on its position regarding the legality of corporal punishment. Among thirty-five industrialized countries, only the United States and the…

This article sets out to redress the disregard of a clause in the 1944 Education Act, the lack of interest in its one-off use and the 20 years of unique educational administrative history that resulted. The City of Peterborough Education Committee and the Soke of Peterborough Education Committee were compelled to become one authority charged with…

This article presents an up-to-date synthesis and review of recent research in the field of school absenteeism and truancy. Topics covered include: definitional issues; the Ofsted position; the LEA perspective; the causes of non-attendance and truancy; the role of parents; the link between truancy and crime; out-of-school provision; current…

This article summarizes the 1992 British report, "Getting in on the Act," which examines implementation of the 1981 Education Act and recommends provisions for students with special needs. Criticisms of the 1981 Act focus on its lack of clarity, lack of accountability, and lack of incentives. A new relationship between local education…

This article considers issues raised by the British Code of Practice, which provides guidelines for the identification, assessment and service of children with special educational needs. The article discusses reactions to the code by the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice and local education agencies, implications for schools, and…

Defects of Britain's 1981 Education Act concerning students with special educational needs are identified, including time requirements for assessments and the unique role of the local education authority regarding need statements. Comments are offered on legislative amendments, a consultation paper ("Special Educational Needs: Access to the…

Examines the conflicts that are exposed by the establishment of Muslim girls' schools, highlighting three specific areas. The first two areas reveal inadequacies in providing for Muslim pupils within the maintained sector and the problems caused for them by existing legislation. The third discusses the dilemma private Muslim schools pose for a…

This article offers the viewpoint of a local educational authority officer concerning the British Code of Practice (1994), which provides standards for the legal statement, review, and reassessment processes for students with special educational needs. Positive and negative implications, as well as the historical and administrative context, are…