Loading...
Exclusion and the strategic leadership role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) in England: planning for COVID-19 and future crises
Done, Elizabeth Knowler, Helen
Done, Elizabeth
Knowler, Helen
Authors
Editors
Other contributors
Affiliation
Epub Date
Issue Date
2021-11-16
Submitted date
Subjects
Alternative
Abstract
A small-scale study funded by the British Educational Association (BERA Small Awards 2020) investigated the role of SENCos in England immediately prior to, during and following the first closure of schools nationally in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed methods research strategy comprising semi-structured interviews and a national online survey generated data related to SENCos’ involvement in strategic planning for crisis conditions, focusing specifically on students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and concerns around exclusionary practices. Findings suggest that pandemic conditions have exacerbated familiar issues related to the SENCo role and SEND provision in English schools, e.g. engagement in reactive firefighting, onerous workloads, uneven SENCo involvement in strategic planning, and schools’ failure to prioritise students with SEND. Minimal evidence of ‘advocacy leadership’ or of SENCos challenging exclusionary practices was found. Disparities between anecdotal and published data around illegal exclusion found in earlier research were also evidenced.
Citation
Done, E. & Knowler, H. (2021) Exclusion and the strategic leadership role of Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos) in England: planning for COVID-19 and future crises, British Journal of Special Education, 48 (4), pp. 438-454. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8578.12388
Publisher
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Embedded videos
Type
Journal article
Language
en
Description
This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Wiley in British Journal of Special Education on 16/11/2021, available online: https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1467-8578.12388
The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0952-3383
EISSN
1467-8578