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Tables 45 and 46 show that participants displayed a mix of positive and negative attitudes towards dual placement, with some groups being significantly more positive than others. There is a discrepancy between the quantitative data (Phase One and Phase Two questionnaires) and the qualitative data. Principals (88% in favour), parents (75% in favour) and those making submissions were the most positive groups and pupils the least positive (38% in favour). However, it should be borne in mind that the qualitative data may be skewed in favour of dual placement by the fact that one of the criteria for selecting the case study schools was that dual placement was working successfully, and by the high representation of special schools within the focus groups.

Table 45. Questionnaire responses to questions on dual placement Special schools Primary schools

with special classes Post-primary schools with special classes Have dual placement 34.5% 13.2% 7.9% Would welcome dual placement 64.3% 40.9% 14.3%

Table 46. Attitudes to dual placement

Type of participant Nos expressing negative attitudes Nos expressing positive attitude Unknown 2 8 Teacher 6 10 Principal 7 51 Parent 2 6 SNA 3 6 Student 26 16

Speech and language therapist 0 1

Chair BOM 0 1 Deputy principal 1 1 Submission 0 6 Type of school Special school 31 42 Mainstream primary 5 37 Mainstream post-primary 3 9

Typical comments from those expressing positive attitudes included:

I have to say the dual enrolment is brilliant (Source: Principal focus group, principal of a special school for pupils with MGLD/ModGLD/severe and profound GLD, ASD).

I think it would be of great benefit to lots of pupils we’re speaking about, because they could have the best of both worlds (Source: Principal of a special school for pupils with MGLD/severe and profound GLD).

Dual placement workable if very well structured (Source: Mainstream primary school with a special class for pupils with MGLD).

One principal (who had worked in a school in the UK) expressed dismay at the idea of introducing dual placement to Irish schools.

Having fought the cause of gaining approval for dual enrolment we discovered that in practice it did not work. Pupils with insecurities,

vulnerabilities and special needs found it very difficult to spend school time in two settings. We discovered through trial and error that a model of placing pupils back into mainstream was much more successful. Very few pupils

could manage going to school in two separate places. It caused divided loyalties. If they made friends in their ‘new’ school, then they weren’t around for two or three days and they lost the connection. At the first bit of trouble they opted to go back to the security of the special school. A model of preparing them for mainstream and total reintegration from day one was much more successful (Source: special school questionnaire, from a special school for pupils with MGLD).

Pupils from a range of different types of special school who participated in the focus groups seemed mostly to share this principal’s doubts about dual placement. For example the majority of pupils participating in a focus group in their PD special school were opposed to the idea; as shown in the following exchange:

Interviewer: What do you think of that, Paul (pseudonym), what do you think about going to two different schools?

Paul: I wouldn’t be able

Interviewer: Why wouldn’t you be able?

Paul: You’d be seeing different faces everyday, you’d be going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth

Interviewer: all the time yeah so you think there would be too many people and too many faces and getting used to it all

Paul: yeah better in the one school Interviewer: better in the one school Group: yeah

(Pupils’ focus group in a special school for pupils with PD).

The following exchange shows that pupils were aware of the differences between mainstream and special schools and that there were disadvantages to attending a special school but are affirming that this is where they preferred to be:

Interviewer 1: And if you had the choice, you could be here some of the time and in that school some of the time, would you like that, would you like to be in your sister's school some of the time and this school some of the time? Hazel (pseudonym): That is a hard question now. Well I love this school, it gives me a lot of help and sometimes like people would skit you over a

school like this, they'd say, you have something wrong with you because you are going to this school, you are dumb, and all that. But really I'd rather be in this school all the time.

Interviewer 1: Even though people slag you about coming here?

Hazel: I don't care, I just ignore people like that because you shouldn't really judge people should you?

Interviewer 1: So you are happy in this school. Even if you could, you don't really think you want to go to the school that your sister is in.

Hazel: No.

Interviewer 1: Why?

Hazel: It would be hard... like we are in one class and we have to go into different subjects and imagine getting up after 45 minutes and going into another class and there would be all movement and I am not very good at that.

Interviewer 1: Ok, anybody else? The rest of you are sure you don't want to be in 2 schools.

Damien (pseudonym): Yes.

Interviewer 1: Ok that is great, so you think it would make it hard because of the movement around to different classes. Is there anything else that any of you want to tell me about this school that you think Pauric (pseudonym) and myself should know? Or Pauric do you think there is anything that I didn't ask? Pauric is supposed to be reminding me of the things that I forget if he's listening!

(Pupils’ focus group, special school for pupils with MGLD/ModGLD and severe and profound GLD)

Some pupils in one focus group expressed the view that dual placement might give them access to subjects which were unavailable in their special school.

Chris (Pseudonym): Let's say you could do maths in one school and English in the other school.

Interviewer 1: That's a good point, that you could divide up the subjects maybe, is that what you are saying. Or what about maybe going to one of the local secondary schools and maybe doing, you know Chris you said earlier on about metalwork, maybe if there was a school that did metal work that you could go there to do a few blocks of time and do metalwork there, do you think that would work? Would you like to do that?

Chris (Pseudonymn): Yes.

Interviewer 1: And then you'd be able to do your metalwork wouldn't you.

It should be noted that none of the pupils who participated in these discussions had experienced dual placement, although some had attended mainstream schools prior to moving to a special school.

4.4.2 Suitability of dual placement for pupils with different types of SEN