A significant increase in the paraprofessional workforce has occurred internationally, aimed at facilitating inclusive education. Within Ireland, this is evidenced in the SNA scheme for pupils with significant care needs. This paper focuses on the constructs of SNA support and pupil independence, as based on large-scale research across 20 Irish…

Since the advent of the ideology of inclusion, several concerns have been raised worldwide regarding the effectiveness of its implementation. In the UK, governmental evidence suggests that maintaining pupils with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) within mainstream school settings, is one of the greatest challenges (DfE, 2018).…

Aim: The use of alternative provision for pupils identified as having challenging behaviour and social, emotional and mental health difficulties is widespread across the UK and the majority of these young people do not access a school whilst attending alternative provision. However, many pupils receive provision through a shared placement between…

This study explores the lived experience of mainstream education, as reported by three 13- to 14-year-old pupils with social, emotional or mental health difficulties (SEMHD), who currently attend alternative provision schooling (APS). Taking a qualitative epistemological approach, the methodology chosen for this study was an interpretative…

The notion of inclusion has gained momentum worldwide, with most countries around the world embracing inclusive policies in their educational systems. However, there is still an ongoing debate as to what is inclusion and hence, the consequent challenge of coming up with an agreed definition, which could then be used to plan for and subsequently,…

Concerns have been expressed about the long term inclusion of students with social, emotional and mental health difficulties in mainstream education. Often, this results in continuous referrals with alternative provision. Whilst student views have been explored, there has been a lack of research focusing on perspectives within Primary education.…

Students with disruptive behaviour in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) are increasingly being educated in separate "behaviour" schools. There is however surprisingly little research on how students view these settings, or indeed the mainstream schools from which they were excluded. To better understand excluded students'…

Inclusive education has become a cornerstone of many government policies in an increasing number of countries, yet teachers have been found to hold mixed attitudes towards its implementation and usefulness. This article, using English terminology and thinking, aims to extend previous research on the effect of teacher attitudes towards inclusion in…

This article is derived from a study of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties' (SEBD) perceptions of their schooling experiences both in mainstream and residential schools. It is based on the accounts of 29 boys with severe SEBD who were attending a residential special school for children in New Zealand. Through in-depth,…

Pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) are often considered the most challenging group to manage within mainstream education. The challenges perceived by teachers may be due, in part, to negative attitudes towards this cohort of pupils, which may exacerbate feelings of inadequacy and impact negatively upon direct interactions…

Four middle school students with autism spectrum disorders participated in a brief functional analysis and a video Social Stories[TM] intervention to remediate attention-seeking and task-avoidance behaviors. Results indicated that matching video Social Stories[TM] to specific functions of behaviors increased task-engagement behaviors in the…

The student voice is growing rapidly in education, driving many educational initiatives and policies as well as research. The voice of students with social, emotional and behaviour difficulties, however, is one of the least heard, with relatively few studies that sought to capture the voice of these students in an authentic and emancipatory way.…

This study examined differential profiles of behavioural characteristics predictive of successful inclusion in mainstream education for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and comparison students. Multiple regression analyses using behavioural ratings from parents, teachers and peers found some evidence for differential profiles…

This article focuses upon the relationship between social and emotional behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and learning. It argues that, while inclusion is desirable in principle, it can be highly problematic in practice. Further, it explores the contested nature of the concept of SEBD and the nature of support for pupils categorised as such. The…

Analysis of data on 97 elementary students with and 97 without mild disabilities found that teachers' attitudes toward integration were not related to the social status of students with disabilities. However, teacher and peer perceptions of academic behavior and peer perceptions of disruptive behavior were related to social status for both student…