Models of SEND: the impact of political and economic influences on policy and provision

The content and direction of policy can be impacted upon by broader political and economic influences that are of central concern to the government in office. With regard to education, the concepts of inclusion and SEND are at the forefront of professional pedagogy and provision. These concepts, although well-established educational practices, may be impacted by these influences. This article has two aims. Firstly, it will identify and critically evaluate potential factors that may have an impact upon the implementation of these concepts. This analysis will focus on the effects of national and international financial instability, the standards agenda and the use of attainment data. The second aim is to critically examine existing and new models of SEND and evaluate how they may be affected by broader political and economic influences and thus reflect current political values. This article will also present a table that summarises each model of SEND and the political and economic influences that may impact upon them. A conclusion is drawn that the potential to achieve inclusive educational practice is affected, not by the models of SEND impacting upon policy and practice, but by political and economic influences acting at both national and international levels.Key words: inclusion, special educational needs, disabilities, medical model, social model, biopsychosocial model, state influenced market model, financial crisis mode

The Wrong Kind of Noise: Understanding and Valuing the Communication of Autistic Children in Schools

As a result of the association of autism with speech and language difficulties, autistic school children can be subject to interventions ostensibly intended to remedy these problems. However, my study, based in five mainstream primary schools in England, which incorporated the views and experiences of school staff (n = 36), autistic children (n = 10), their parents (n = 10) and a sample of autistic adults (n = 10), suggests that these inputs do not always provide the children with the help they require. Indeed, notwithstanding some examples of effective assistance, the more evident communication of the autistic children, in its various manifestations, might be ignored and their wishes denied, if deemed not to correspond with the expectations or intentions of the supporting adult. Furthermore, their communication was also found to intersect with the issue of noise in schools, a complex phenomenon which can be an exclusionary factor for autistic children. Indeed, if some forms of noise were tolerated in school, the sounds emanating from autistic children might be disdained, while the communicative value of their silence was not evidently recognised either. Therefore, whether speaking, making noises or remaining silent, autistic children can be deemed to be making the wrong kind of noise. Elucidated via empirical examples from my study, the implications for research and practice are discussed, providing alternative perspectives on how to support the communication of autistic children, leading to greater agency, well-being and educational inclusion on their part

Inclusive education in the academy: pedagogical and political imperatives in a master’s course

Many universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate courses in inclusive education. There has been much research into the impact of these courses, but little is written about their design. This article focuses on a master’s course in inclusive education in a South African university. The course positions inclusive education as a critical education project and is designed around the four propositions presented by Slee in The Irregular School (2011. Milton Park: Routledge). Using Bernsteinian ideas about pedagogising knowledge, this article accounts for the pedagogical choices made in content selection and course design. The focal questions in the course are described, together with an indication of the range of additional texts that students read. Given that Slee asserts that inclusive education is a political project, and that Allan (2010. “The Inclusive Teacher Educator: Spaces for Civic Engagement.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 31 (4): 411–422) urges inclusive teacher educators to reorientate themselves towards civic duty, I argue that producing a pedagogic discourse of inclusive education is a political task that should result in both the teacher educator and the students being oriented towards a critique of existing exclusionary arrangements and an activism that leads to change

Working towards inclusive physical education in a primary school: ‘some days I just don’t get it right’

© 2018 Association for Physical Education Background: In Aotearoa New Zealand, as it is internationally, there is a desire to ensure physical education is inclusive of all students regardless of their abilities. Yet, medical discourses associated with disability continue to position students who are perceived as not having the capacity to participate fully in traditional physical education programmes as the teacher’s ‘helper’, ‘helped’, or ‘helpless’. As a result, these students may have negative experiences of physical education and this can impact on future involvement in movement-related activities within school and community settings. Methodology: Drawing on the data from a larger critical participatory action research project, we explore how one primary school teacher, Joel, attempted to work more inclusively within physical education. Specifically, we draw from personal journaling, student work and records of dialogical conversations to shed light on Joel’s experiences. Conclusion: Joel’s experience demonstrates that there is not one singular solution to inclusion within physical education and it is a combination of actions that support this process. In Joel’s case, this included becoming a reflexive practitioner, getting to know his students, being receptive as opposed to respective to difference in positive ways rather than seeing this as limiting, working imaginatively to reconsider what constitutes learning in physical education, and sharing ownership for curriculum design and learning with his students. Working in this way illustrates how a multi-layered approach can make a difference to how all the students in a class experience inclusion, including students positioned as disabled

A systematic literature review of intersectionality and disability in education

This systematic literature review synthesizes empirical analyses and applications of intersectionality in discussing disability in education. Even though intersectional methodologies have gained increased attention during the last decade, disability has rarely featured in these multi-axial analyses. The systematic review explores intersections of disability with other axes of identity and social disadvantage concerning perceptions and understandings of disability in education, experiences of ex/inclusion and educational dis/advantage. The review addresses the following questions: What intersectional dimensions of disability experience are explored? In what ways do students with disabilities experience intersectional forms of discrimination and oppression? What intersectionality-based education policy and practice implications are discussed in these articles? The review’s findings provide empirically tested insights into how the experience of disability is interwoven with and compounded by other markers of difference, while discussing implications for developing intersectionality-based policies and education research

Exclave accessibility and cross-border travel: the pene-exclave of Ceuta, Spain

Exclaves are characterized by several advantages and disadvantages related to physical, economic, historical, social and cultural attributes; these depend on the owner- and the host-state as well as on relationship between the two. Using the case of Ceuta, a Spanish pene-exclave located in north-western Africa bordering Morocco, air travel mobility and accessibility issues faced by residents are identified and discussed primarily in the context of outbound tourism. The empirical research uses a mixed method approach of data collection based on questionnaires distributed to Ceuta residents and participant observation of the local community. Findings suggest that while enhancing accessibility is generally considered to be positive for travel, the reality is more complex in the case of exclaves and pene-exclaves, where geographical discontinuity and lack of land transport connections with the mainland and hinterland of the owner state may co-exist with geo-political conflicts between the owner and the host countries, i.e. Spain and Morocco respectively in the present context. Based on the concept of tourism for peace and its implications for border tourism and the scaling-up of spatial interaction between neighboring regions belonging to different countries, simpler border-crossing procedures along with innovative destination management policies at local level are proposed to improve exclave accessibility and travel mobility in practice to the benefit of both local residents and inbound tourists

Foucault, Freda Fry and the Power of Silent Characters on the Radio

The Archers is a much-loved soap opera which relies entirely on audio outputs: on actors speaking and listeners listening. Despite this, many silent characters populate the drama. In fact, from Rosaline in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to Godot in Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and not forgetting Tracey the barmaid in Eastenders, silent characters have long played a crucial role in dramatic productions, an influence all the more acutely felt if they are unseen as well as unheard. Therefore, using key examples of silent characters, and with reference to Freda Fry in particular, I discuss the expanding role and influence of the silent characters in The Archers. In addition, by invoking philosophies of language and silence, I will suggest they have an influence and potency in the storylines that speaking actors should envy, and that Freda Fry reigns supreme over all others