The Equals Formal Curriculum English Scheme of Work has been designed for that very small percentage of the school population, perhaps as low as one or two per cent, who have global learning difficulties (GLD) to such a degree that they are consistently working at levels significantly below their age-related peers for all of their academic lives.…

This article discusses how one special school for pupils with moderate-learning difficulties reflects themes in the literature on pupil motivation. It aims to highlight good practice and is based on reflections from prolonged working with the school as an advisory teacher, illustrated with teacher, pupil and parent comments from Y6 Education…

The study presents data drawn from semi-structured interviews with five young people permanently excluded from schools in North East England. The research aimed to investigate the risk factors that lead to the children using illegal drugs, to determine the drivers and implications for drug misuse and the carrying of knives into school. The…

This article reports on research that was carried out with parents in order to understand the education system in England from their viewpoint through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven parents, who were largely sourced through a local dyslexia specialist tutor. The data were analysed by using cross-sectional analysis in order to…

The original concept of a subculture of learning support in secondary schools developed from a study of "Support Teachers, Learning Difficulties" in New South Wales, Australia. The study examined the influence of school culture on the service delivery model used by these support teachers in three case studies, one of which is reported in…

Successful transition from primary to secondary school is important for psychosocial well-being. Children with special educational needs (SEN) may face additional complexities at transition, although the impact of this process on children's psychosocial adjustment has been underexplored. The article aims to review systematically the literature…

The increasing number of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties means that many schools for children with severe learning difficulties are having to review the curriculum that they offer. In addition, these schools are continuing to question whether a subject-based approach, in line with the National Curriculum, is the most…

This article focuses on aspects of policy and provision for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) who attend special schools in England. The findings reported below are from a larger study, which aimed to answer the question: "Who Goes to SLD Schools in England?"

This article focuses on special education as cultural representation and explores how it is fashioned by the realities of the Caribbean diaspora. These realities are framed within the context of the Caribbean's response to the global agenda of education for all and the development of learning support systems that are relevant to regional and…

This article describes recent research conducted on behalf of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People. The study highlights a number of emerging issues including: limited decision-making opportunities for children; statementing and assessment; and other issues specific to mainstream and special schools. The article…

In this article the author describes a small-scale study into the role of the special needs assistant (SNA) supporting the inclusion of pupils with learning difficulties in the Irish Republic. The findings regarding the perspectives of teachers, principals, SNAs, pupils supported by SNAs and their parents on the support offered to three pupils are…