Physical restraint is a restrictive practice used in schools, but there are no up-to-date statistics concerning the frequency of its usage in England and there are concerns as to whether it is being used appropriately and effectively. Pupils with special educational needs are more likely to experience physical restraint in school, but…

School absenteeism is a significant social and public health problem, and it has considerable negative consequences on the development of children and adolescents not only in the short term but also in the long term. We investigated special education needs (SEN) as a risk factor for absenteeism. For 418,455 mainstream secondary school students…

This paper presents findings from a small-scale pilot evaluation of the Silver Stories programme. Silver Stories involves school-age children reading to older people in the community and is a way of addressing literacy and emotional difficulties, as well as enhancing wellbeing. The authors collected and analysed questionnaire and interview data…

Pupils with Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs are disproportionately excluded from schools in England. Drawing on data collected from interviews with Local Authority Education Officers in 2017/18 in a project that looked at disparities in rates of permanent exclusion across the UK, this article explores how the influence of perverse…

The work of Bruno Bettelheim presents a range of challenges, in respect of its meaning, relevance and, not least, its overall credibility. These have long been apparent in the early years education. Adopting an English perspective, the paper explores a thesis that Bettelheim's work, although fragile in its scientific grounding, has nevertheless…

Educational or school psychologists (EPs/SPs) can offer support with behaviour concerns at the levels of individual, group or organisation. Their practices, whilst being psychologically based, must be responsive to local contexts and needs. To explore behaviour practice in a real-world context, and to consider how development in this domain might…

Background: There is a well-established association between literacy difficulties and emotional and behavior disorders (EBD). However, the scarcity of experimental studies means directions of causality are not clear. Aims: This study investigates causal relationships between literacy and EBD, and implications of co-morbidity for intervention.…

Bereaved people frequently report perceiving the continued presence of the person they lost in the form of a voice, a vision, a felt presence or any other sensory perception. This report explores this psychological phenomenon, experiences of presence, using narrative interviewing and analysis. Ten people were interviewed, in English or Spanish,…

This paper presents data from a Forest School project aimed at impacting upon children and young people's emotional wellbeing. It uses a theory of change methodology to evaluate impact and explore the causal processes within the project. Mixed methods data are presented and analysed in relation to how different parts of the Forest School approach,…

This study used a mixed methods approach to determine mainstream teachers' attitudes towards inclusion of children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) considering the influence of age, experience, qualifications and the support they receive. The study further considered whether there was a link between attitudes and…

To date, very few studies have explored the incidence of motor impairment amongst children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (social, emotional and mental health (SEMH); formerly SEBD in England). Following research that suggests an increase in motor difficulties in young children and adolescents with SEMH difficulties, this…

Despite the considerable institutional changes schools have made to accommodate the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as underpinned by key principles of inclusion, there is still international concern about the mainstream experiences pupils with SEND have in school settings. This study helps us…

Recognizing the limited research examining physical education teachers' pedagogical practices for pupils experiencing social, emotional and behavioural issues, this case study sought to examine how a male teacher with a high performing sports background taught games to such pupils and identify those factors that led to such practices. Occupational…

The COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) study is a new national cohort study generating high-quality evidence about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected socio-economic inequalities in life chances, both in terms of short- and long-term effects on education, wellbeing, and career outcomes. A representative sample of young people in…

This research drew on positive psychology in order to offer an optimistic way of conceptualising the lives of young people who are often described as having "SEBD" (social, emotional and behavioural difficulties), now SEMH (social, emotional, mental health) in the English 2014 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of…