This paper explores experiences of pastoral staff, working in social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) special secondary schools, regarding the psychological impact of their work. To date, attention has been given to the educational experiences of pupils attending SEMH schools and teachers working with pupils with SEMH needs in mainstream…

This paper draws on my experience working as a special needs support staff member in a special school in the UK for young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) issues. The purpose of this paper is to share my understanding of practices that enable staff in an SEMH school to attend to the needs of their students. Although I have…

This article presents new insights into the views of families regarding the educational opportunities for their children in special school settings. It reports on a study designed to capture the perspectives of families regarding the opportunities to consult and engage with teachers on the education of their child or children with disabilities…

Sign language is a unique language that relies heavily on visual communication, body language, and lip movements, and is often supplemented with voice. For individuals with special needs, such as deaf students in schools for the deaf, learning this language is essential. However, to effectively teach sign language, teachers require specialized…

This small-scale, qualitative, participatory study explored a group of young people's experiences of the Tree of Life narrative intervention and ways of conducting participatory research with this particular group. The research was carried out with five co-researchers (aged 12-13 years) who attend a specialist secondary school for students with…

Although inclusion is the declared goal, the transition from a system based on special schools to an inclusive school system has only been progressing very slowly in individual countries. In an evolving school system, the existing special schools keep struggling to justify their existence. This study investigates the regional distribution effects…

Friendships and social relationships are central to wellbeing but the friendships of those with complex needs are often ignored. This study explored the friendships and social relationships of students with complex communication needs (CCN) in and outside of special school settings, to understand how they view and experience them. There were 20…

Many pupils experience restricted participation in Swedish schools due to a non-inclusive learning environment. Partnering for Change (P4C) is an evidence-based service delivery model, developed and employed successfully in Canada to create inclusive learning environments. P4C could potentially be used in Swedish schools, but its feasibility…

Despite the clear global inclusion agenda, gaps remain in the translation of the philosophical acceptance of inclusive education into effective teaching practices. Regarding children with special educational needs and/or disabilities, support for segregated schools hinged on the positivist, medical model of disability still challenges inclusive…

In the present era of inclusion, special schools increasingly serve as spaces for the delivery of supplementary education and rehabilitation services for mainstreamed disabled children. A history of segregation and institutionalization weigh heavily on the sector, prompting many special educators to advocate for students' continued mainstreaming…

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a complex and historically overlooked area, affected by socio-cultural factors, attitudes and beliefs. Research calls for professionals to work collaboratively, in a participatory, person-centred way, with scarce guidance to inform ways of…

This paper is about English parents' experiences of making decisions about special school placements in the national context of rising special school placements and more parental choice and school diversity. The aim of this research was to investigate whether the current legislative focus on optimising parent choice operates as intended from the…

School-based placements have been identified as important for personal and professional development, supporting prospective teachers to critically (re)consider and disrupt normative and ableist practices. Antonio Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony was used in this research to explore the influence of a special school placement on prospective…

"Emotionally based school avoidance" (EBSA) is a term used to describe young people who have difficulty attending school due to emotional needs. In comparison to previously favoured terms such as "school refuser", EBSA highlights the impact of unmet emotional needs over school non-attendance, which then informs the intervention…

Mobile technologies illustrate a positive effect when used in mathematics learning. However, user experience evaluations are mostly quantitative. The study adopted a qualitative case study approach using semi-structured interviews to examine the experiences of educators at a special needs school in the Western Cape, South Africa. Thematic analysis…