A discussion paper outlined the need for, and the possibility of, significant progress in personalizing support in further education for young disabled people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Source: Pippa Murray and Jane Shepherd, Citizenship in Further Education: Next steps in personalised transition, Centre for Welfare Reform
Links: Discussion paper
Date: 2011-Dec
The Northern Ireland Executive published five reviews relating to mental health and learning disabilities, covering:
• Children and young people – including early interventions, the needs of looked-after children, and the development of resilience.
• Patient outcomes – including the measurement of recovery, and the capture of patient feedback.
• Learning disability – including the management of challenging behaviours.
• Psychological therapies – including how to embed these in services for children and adults across the lifespan.
• Primary care – including aspects important to the prevention, recognition, and management of mental health in the community.
Source: Geraldine Macdonald, Nuala Livingstone, Gavin Davidson, Seaneen Sloan, Montserrat Fargas, and Dominic McSherry, Improving the Mental Health of Northern Ireland's Children and Young People: Priorities for research, Northern Ireland Executive | Michael Donnelly, David Scott, Sinead McGilloway, Tony O?Neill, Julie Williams, and Mike Slade, Patient Outcomes: What are the best methods for measuring recovery from mental illness and capturing feedback from patients in order to inform service improvement?, Northern Ireland Executive | Eamonn Slevin, Laurence Taggart, Roy McConkey, Wendy Cousins, Maria Truesdale-Kennedy, and Sandra Dowling, Supporting People with Intellectual Disabilities Who Challenge or Who Are Ageing: A rapid review of evidence, Northern Ireland Executive | Mandy Irvine, Chris McCusker, Jennifer Coulter, Helen Corbett, Nadene O?Loan, and Martin Dempster, Advancing Psychological Therapies Research in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Executive | Brendan Bunting, Liz Burtney, Finola Ferry, Deirdre Fullerton, Siobhan O?Neill, Domhnall MacAuley, Brendan McCormack, Hugh McKenna, Ciaran Mulholland, and Assumpta Ryan, Rapid Review of Mental Health in Primary Care: What aspects of primary care are effective in the prevention, recognition and management of mental health issues across the lifespan; for whom do they work, in what circumstances and why?, Northern Ireland Executive
Links: Report (1) | Report (2) | Report (3) | Report (4) | Report (5) | NIE press release
Date: 2011-Dec
A report presented the findings of a study into the nature and forms of school leadership that promoted the achievement of students with special educational needs and disabilities.
Source: Christopher Chapman, Mel Ainscow, Susie Miles, and Mel West, Leadership that Promotes the Achievement of Students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, National College for School Leadership
Links: Report | Literature review | Case studies
Date: 2011-Dec
An audit report said that course outcomes for young people aged 16-25 receiving special educational support were improving. But a lack of understanding of the relationship between needs, costs, and outcomes could lead to students not getting the right support, and risked compromising value for money.
Source: Oversight of Special Education for Young People Aged 16-25, HC 1585 (Session 2010-2012), National Audit Office, TSO
Links: Report | NAO press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A paper evaluated programmes for children with moderate levels of special educational needs in England. The decentralized design of the policy generated significant variations in access to remedial resources across children with similar prior levels of difficulty: but this differential was not reflected in subsequent educational attainment – suggesting that the programme was ineffective for 'treated' children.
Source: Francois Keslair, Eric Maurin, and Sandra McNally, Every Child Matters? An Evaluation of 'Special Educational Needs' Programmes in England, Discussion Paper 6069, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Nov
The final evaluation report was published on a pilot project that sought to provide better opportunities for learners with special educational needs and disabilities. Pupils in the pilot recorded greater progress in English and maths; and they also showed improvements in positive relationships, with reductions in bullying and behaviour problems.
Source: Neil Humphrey and Garry Squires, Achievement for All National Evaluation: Final Report, Research Report RR176, Department for Education
Links: Report | Brief | Manchester University press release
Date: 2011-Nov
A new book examined the development of policy on special educational needs, and the fitness of existing school-level systems of provision.
Source: Alison Ekins, The Changing Face of Special Educational Needs: Impact and implications for SENCOs and their schools, Routledge
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Aug
A briefing paper examined the special educational needs system in England, and highlighted the main proposals in the coalition government's Green Paper on special educational needs and disability.
Source: Christine Gillie, The Green Paper on Special Educational Needs and Disability, Standard Note SN/SP/5917, House of Commons Library
Links: Briefing paper
Date: 2011-Aug
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that too few young people aged 16-25 with learning difficulties and disabilities progressed from school to complete programmes that would help them live independently, undertake further study, or gain employment.
Source: Progression Post-16 for Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities, HMI 100232, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | NIACE press release | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Aug
An article examined which child, family, home, and pre-school factors could be viewed as risk or protective factors for later special educational needs (SEN) status at age 10. The experience of high-quality pre-school education was shown to reduce the likelihood of a child being identified as experiencing SEN in the long run. Teachers' assessments of SEN were found to be strongly related to children's reading and mathematics attainment: but other factors also predicted SEN, including a child's age within a year group.
Source: Yvonne Anders et al., 'The influence of child, family, home factors and pre-school education on the identification of special educational needs at age 10', British Educational Research Journal, Volume 37 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-May
A report examined initiatives designed to improve teacher workforce skills in relation to special educational needs and disabilities.
Source: Geoff Lindsay et al., Evaluation of Impact of DfE Investment in Initiatives Designed to Improve Teacher Workforce Skills in Relation to SEN and Disabilities, Research Report RR115, Department for Education
Date: 2011-May
A report said that new ways of teaching needed to be developed to help schools in England cope with a 'massive influx' of children with complex special needs.
Source: The Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project: Developing meaningful pathways to personalised learning, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
Links: Summary | SSAT press release | BBC report
Date: 2011-Mar
The government published a Green Paper on education and health support for children with special educational needs (SEN). It said that it proposed to:
• Include parents in the assessment process and introduce a legal right, by 2014, to give them control of funding for the support their child needed.
• Replace SEN statements with a single assessment process and a combined education, health, and care plan – so that health and social services were included in the package of support, along with education.
• Ensure assessment and plans ran from birth to 25 years old.
• Replace the existing 'School Action' and 'School Action Plus' system with a simpler new school-based category to help teachers focus on raising attainment.
• Overhaul teacher training and professional development in order to improve help for pupils with special educational needs and to raise their attainment.
• Inject greater independence from local authorities in assessments by looking at how voluntary groups might co-ordinate the package of support.
• Give parents a greater choice of school, and give parents and community groups the power to set up special free schools.
Source: Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability, Cm 8027, Department for Education, TSO
Links: Green Paper | Hansard | DE press release | Liberal Democrats press release | ADCS press release | ASCL press release | Barnardos press release | CDC press release | Contact a Family press release | CSIE press release | EDCM press release | FPLD press release | In Control press release | IOE press release | Labour Party press release | LGA press release | Mencap press release | Nasen press release | NASUWT press release | NDCS press release | NUT press release | OCC press release | Scope press release | YoungMinds press release | BBC report | Community Care report | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Mar
