A quiet revolution?
The total number of TAs working in English schools is down for the first time ever – but encouraging signs from the MITA project show how a strategic focus on TAs can unlock their potential.
Blog Archive of: Making a Statement study
Making SENSE of claims about inclusion
30 June 2017
An Australian politician has claimed “we need to get rid of” pupils with SEND from mainstream classrooms, because “the teacher spends so much time on them, they forget” about others pupils. But data from our new research suggests otherwise...
When it comes to SEND support, it's quality that matters. Does banding offer a fresh approach?
15 August 2016
The quantification of support for pupils with EHCPs, often expressed in terms of TA hours, is central to holding schools and local authorities to account. Yet research suggests the quantity of SEND support is prioritised over the quality. One local authority's novel approach to hours, which offers schools greater flexibility over provision, has been labelled "unhelpful" and "unlawful" by a leading SEND solicitor. But is there a wider, less talked about, disconnect in the way legal and teaching professionals conceptualise SEND support?
The more things change…? Children with SEN and their classroom experiences over time
30 December 2014
A new paper looks at how the educational experiences of children with SEN have changed since the 1980s. The results are a reminder that effective policymaking and classroom practice require objective research evidence to balance our subjective perceptions.
