In England, a vertical equity model of inclusive schooling has been increasingly visible in both educational policy and school practices since the 2019 education reforms. Within this mixed model of provision, alongside and in complementarity to mainstream schooling, alternative provision (AP) and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)…

This study aimed to identify the professional structure required by teachers working in primary schools for deaf students in Japan. Ten university teachers training in education for deaf students at Japanese universities participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using the KJ method of qualitative analysis based on similarity,…

Research indicates that engagement acts as an important precursor for learning, yet sustaining the engagement of pupils with special educational needs can be a challenge for classroom staff. An Active Support staff training package, Interactive Training, has been demonstrated as an effective way of increasing engagement in adults accessing…

In this article we examine how, despite the understanding that a special school is not an inclusive setting, the senior leadership team (SLT) at Forest Academy Trust perceive their special schools as inclusive. Document reviews, interviews and a culminating focus group appear to indicate that possibilities for inclusive education may be related to…

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) are less likely to meet physical activity (PA) guidelines and have higher tendencies towards sedentary behaviors. Considering a large proportion of a child's day is spent at school, this setting provides a promising environment for increasing PA levels. Staff often significantly impact the success of PA…

This article explores the perspectives of educational psychologists across England with regard to their professional involvement, role and contribution to special schools for children and young people with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). An online survey was distributed to all educational psychology services in England and to…

A recent focus on attachment and trauma awareness (ATA) in schools has led to whole-school training programmes and evaluations. The outcomes have been positive; however, the dominant focus of research is on the implementation of whole-school ATA in mainstream settings. This project adopted a case study to explore how the training and approaches…

Mathematics is one of the core school subjects in the UK and an emphasis is placed on developing pupils' mathematical competencies throughout all key stages. Despite that, the attainment of students with disabilities in mathematics remains low. The current study explored ways in which the Teaching Early Numeracy to children with Developmental…

Family and teacher partnerships have an important role to play in the education of learners with disabilities. The South African Schools Act of 1996 has made provision for families to play a pivotal role in the school governing body, whether their child has a disability or not. National and international research shows that strong family-teacher…

Supporting children and young people's mental health and well-being is central to UK Government policy, with statistics suggesting post-16 students and those with learning difficulties are vulnerable. This case study explored how practitioners at a special school for students with severe and profound and multiple learning difficulties promote…

The main purpose of this study was to explore the mental health and subjective well-being of staff working with adolescents with severe and profound multiple learning difficulties. The participants were 19 teachers and 25 teaching assistants working in an inner London, local authority, specialist day provision. A demographic questionnaire, the…

Education professionals (n = 41) in special schools were interviewed about supporting their autistic pupils transitioning to adulthood following the introduction of the Children and Families Act 2014. Our participants explained how they lacked the time to fully implement knowledge gained from training, leading to growing reliance on experiential…

This study uses a conceptual framework devised by Norwich and Lewis in the UK in 2007 to examine the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in China. Norwich and Lewis, whose expressed intention was to offer 'a starting point for setting out a coherent and common framework of teaching that is inclusive',…

We all 'play' music! Play experiences for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) are often compromised, lost in complex care routines, increasingly stretched timetables and a lack of suitable play interventions. This study investigates combining music with play, using a set of guidelines and principles developed by the…

Interventions based on applied behaviour analysis (ABA) have been shown to improve outcomes for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there is very little research into outcomes for older pupils. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an ABA intervention for pupils with ASD and additional learning difficulties in a UK special…