Procesos y resultados educativos

This section deals with the support currently offered by special to mainstream schools and the perceived potential for special schools to offer expertise to mainstream schools particularly in regard to playing a greater role in helping to provide for the inclusion of pupils with SEN in mainstream settings.

The English case study school, had pioneered such a role for itself under the leadership of a dynamic principal during the decade preceding the visit of the research team, and learning about the way this role was managed within a locally administered system with formal structures in place with regard to special-

mainstream school links was one of the focuses of the English case study which is reported more fully at the end of this section.

4.2.6.1 Types of Links Currently in Place

With regard to the current position in Ireland, evidence from the Phase One questionnaire data (Question 20) shows that special schools had a number of different types of links with mainstream schools, both primary and post-primary. A total of 62 of the 83 respondents to the Special School Questionnaire answered this question, with 56 of these schools reporting links of some sort with mainstream. Table 21 details the range and variety of these links. It should be noted that many schools had more than one type of link, and that it is possible that the 21 non- responders to this question include a disproportionate number of those whose schools had no links.

Table 21. Links between special and mainstream schools Type of link No of

schools

Percentage of those who replied to this question

Percentage of sample With post-primary

schools 33 53.2% 39.7%

With primary schools 16 25.8% 19.5%

With special classes 3 4.8% 3.6%

The majority of these links involve visits by adults or mainstream pupils to the special school; only 13 of the respondents reported that they visited other schools either to participate in classes or for other events or forms of collaboration. Many of the special–primary school links involved collaboration for first communion and confirmation.

Table 22. Nature of links between special and mainstream schools

Type of link No of

schools

Percentage of those who replied

to this question

Percentage of sample Visits from teachers and SNAs to

Special school 15 24.1% 18.1%

Teacher exchange with schools in

UK or Europe 4 6.5% 4.8%

Work experience for transition year

students 28 45.2% 33.7%

Fast friends/class participation 16 25.8% 19.5%

Shared classes in both schools

(primary level) 2 3.2% 2.4%

Collaboration with special classes 3 4.8% 3.6%

There was considerable evidence both from the open questions in the Phase One questionnaires and Phase Two focus groups and case study interviews, that current links between special and mainstream schools are informal, ad hoc, and based on the goodwill of those involved. Table 23 (which summarises comments from these data sources) shows that this issue is mainly of concern to teachers and principals in special schools, although those in mainstream primary schools also see it as an issue.

Table 23. Informal and ad-hoc nature of special–mainstream links Participant type No of participants expressing

concern about the informal/ ad-hoc nature of links

Unknown 2 Teacher 11 Principal 20 Parent 3 SNA 3 Deputy principal 2 School type Special school 26 Main primary 12 Main post-primary 1

Typical responses included:

People ringing and saying, you know, have you ever come across a child like this? And I say, right, it’s down to the goodwill of the teacher at this stage. (Source: Principal focus group, principal from a special school for pupils with PD)

And that’s a problem that our school has now, that you will have teachers knocking on your door. You’ll have desperate teachers coming looking for help, ‘Look it, I just can’t handle this child any longer. Where am I going to go? What can I do about him? You know, I can’t pass him onto somebody else.’ So we’ve had teachers come and seek help, and it doesn’t, it’s not that you have to teach them, you know, you don’t have to sit them down and give them huge amounts of training. You give them pointers. You give them ideas on material, on how to handle behaviour. And a lot of the times, there’s simple little things that you tell them to do work. You know, it doesn’t always work, because we don’t always have the problems either because I mean we wouldn’t be having difficulties with our kids if we had all the solutions, but I definitely think that yeah, the kids need to be offered a choice, you know (Source: Teachers’ focus group, teacher from a special school for children with MGLD/ModGLD/severe and profound GLD).

A clear view emerged from the data that there was a need for such links to be formalised. This view was expressed by both special school and mainstream principals, for example:

Ongoing communication between schools to be professionally facilitated - not just haphazard – NB structures to be put in place (Source: Mainstream primary questionnaire, school with a special class for pupils with MGLD). Networking – a formal network between the special school and local schools to share experiences and facilitate the support for children around IEPs; planning IEPs, sharing resources etc. Clear guidelines for the application process for special schools and create an awareness of same (Source: Mainstream primary questionnaire, school with a special class for pupils with MGLD).

Support mechanisms for frequent structured meetings between mainstream and special teachers in order to modify both the mainstream and special classroom in terms of instructions, curriculum and behavioural norms in

order to decrease the differences between each (Source: special school questionnaire, school for pupils with EBD).

These comments from one principal exemplify the tensions involved in special school teachers supporting mainstream colleagues.

Well first of all, I’m not quite sure what a Centre of Excellence is. I’m not quite sure what, what your resource is. I suspect that say, if our school was to become a resource, that, or a Centre of Excellence, I would be utterly convinced that it’s all going to be in one direction, which is away from us, into other areas. But, which is fine if you had the resources. But again, if, if you’re going to use, or use the

expertise of your, of our own teachers in our school to support teachers who are in mainstream schools, then you’re going to give away teachers from our own school, who have got the expertise that we require in our own school. Okay? (Source: Principal Focus group, principal of a special school for pupils with

MGLD/ModGLD/severe profound GLD).

However, data from the English case study suggests that the presence of formal structures did not entirely alleviate tensions such as these, with a number of

individuals mentioning the difficulties of balancing their responsibilities towards the pupils in their special school class with supporting mainstream colleagues.