Capítulo I. Población estudiantil
I.III Procesos y resultados educativos
1(a) Information letter for principals
1(b) Information letter sent to parents whose children are in the class, but who are not involved in the research
1(c) Consent letter for parents 1(d) Consent letter for SNAs 1(e) Consent letter for teachers
Appendix 1(a): Information letter for principals
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs A Joint Research Project carried out by Bangor University, Wales, St Patrick’s College, Dublin and Birmingham University, England. Study funded by the National Council for
Special Education.
September, 2009 Dear [Principal],
I am writing to thank you for your interest in taking part in the second part of this study. As I’m sure you will understand, we are very keen to proceed with the study as soon as possible, and are hoping to visit some schools before the mid-term break, and so I’m writing to you now, although I appreciate that you will be extremely busy at the start of a new school year. During the next few days, one of the research team will be telephoning you to discuss in more detail what participation in the second phase entails, but we thought it would be helpful for you to have some further information at this stage. As you may recall the overall aims of the study are to:
1. Describe the ways in which mainstream primary teachers differentiate the curriculum to meet the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs 2. Explore how pupils with SEN access and experience the curriculum
In the second part of the study we will be looking in depth at the experience of young pupils with special educational needs in up to 15 mainstream primary schools, using a combination of observation and interviews. Participating in this part of the study will involve members of the research team visiting your school for one to two days to carry out interviews with staff, parents and where appropriate young pupils with SEN, and structured observations of how these pupils access the curriculum. During the visit we hope that we will be able to observe up to six pupils with SEN (depending on the size of your school and how many pupils you have with SEN in the relevant classes) in two lessons each, talk to the child immediately after each of the lessons, interview the child’s parents, the class teacher, and any relevant SNAs and support teachers. Where appropriate we would also like to look at the pupils’ IEPs and other relevant documentation.
Because we want to ensure that the study is applicable to the range of young children with SEN in mainstream classrooms, the researcher who contacts you will have a tentative ‘short list’ of pupils in your school to discuss with you (identified from your questionnaire responses, by year group and type of SEN). Lessons to be observed will
be selected by the class teacher in consultation with the researchers prior to the visit. In order for a pupil to be observed, in addition to your signed consent to the study as a whole, we need signed informed consent from that pupil’s parents, assent from the pupil themselves, willingness on the part of the class teacher to participate, and preferably willingness on the part of the pupil’s parents, any relevant support teachers and SNAs to participate in a short interview. Participation in this research study by individual members of the school community will be on a voluntary basis. Each individual will be free to choose whether or not to participate, and individuals will be free to withdraw their consent at any time.
We will also be asking you if any new young children with identified SEN have entered junior infants this year.
I enclose a letter addressed to the class teachers who would be involved in the study which is intended to form the basis for a telephone discussion in relation to the observations.
Should you wish to contact us, please telephone or email Dr Cathal Butler (tel. 018842350 email: [email protected]
Yours sincerely, Dr Jean Ware
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs
Consent Form
I have read about the study on access to the curriculum for young children with SEN in Ireland and I understand what is involved.
I am willing for my school to participate in the study. I understand that I can withdraw this consent at any time
Signed: ... Principal Teacher ... School Date: ...
Appendix 1(b): Information letter sent to parents whose children are in the
class, but who are not involved in the research
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs A Joint Research Project carried out by Bangor University, Wales, St Patrick’s College, Dublin and Birmingham University, England. Study funded by the National Council for
Special Education.
September, 2009 Dear Parents,
A group of researchers from Bangor University, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, and Birmingham University has received funding from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to carry out a study of how pupils with special educational needs in Junior Infants to Second Class are helped to take part in all the lessons and activities that are going on in school.
The principal of [School Name] has given us permission to work with the school, and we have already asked permission from the parents of the individual pupils we would particularly like to observe.
While your child is not the focus of attention, the study will be taking place in your child’s class, so we are writing to let you know about what we will be doing. We can assure you that if your child does talk to any of the researchers, nothing of what they say will be included in the research, as they are not the focus of the study.
We do not believe that your child will be inconvenienced in any way by the fact that the study is taking place in [School Name]. Instead, we hope that not only [School Name], but other schools, will be helped by what we find out we provide quality education for all pupils. However, should you prefer to do so, you can withdraw your child from the class while the researchers are observing. If you wish to discuss this option, please contact the school principal.
On behalf of the research team, I would like to thank you sincerely for your cooperation. If you have any questions about the study, please contact the school principal, or Dr Cathal Butler (tel. 018842350).
Yours sincerely Dr Jean Ware
Appendix 1(c): Consent letter for parents
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs A Joint Research Project carried out by Bangor University, Wales, St Patrick’s College, Dublin and Birmingham University, England. Study funded by the National Council for
Special Education.
September, 2009 Dear Parents,
A group of Researchers from Bangor University, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, and Birmingham University. has received money from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to carry out a study of how young children with special needs, being educated in mainstream primary schools, are enabled to access the curriculum. The Principal has given us permission to work with your child’s school. We are writing to ask you to give consent for your child to take part in this study. If you allow your child to take part, he/she will be observed in his/her class and in the school and then interviewed by us. We would also like to hear your views and so we would appreciate it if we could also interview you as part of the study.
The interview with you will take place at your child’s school on a date and time agreed with you and the principal and will take approximately one hour. The discussion will be audio-taped for accuracy. The interview with your child, will be informal and will take only a few minutes, it will also be audio-taped
It is entirely up to you whether or not to agree to take part in the study. You are free to opt in or out at any time. If you do not want to take part it will make no difference to how your child is treated in school. If you do agree, we will do everything possible to make sure that the study is confidential. That means that we will not use your real name or the real name of the school during the study or later when we are writing up the results of the study. We do not believe that you or your child will come to any harm by taking part in the study. Instead, we hope that your child’s school will learn a lot by participating and that your child and other children will be helped by what we learn.
If you have any questions you wish to ask before deciding whether or not to participate please contact Dr Cathal Butler on 01 8842350. If you are willing to take part in the study, please compete and sign the attached consent form and return it to the principal. Your co-operation in this research is highly valued and greatly appreciated.
Yours Sincerely, Dr Jean Ware
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs
Consent Form (Parents)
I have read about the study on the Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs, I have had an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the study. I understand what is involved.
I am willing to take part in the study. Yes No
I am willing to give permission for my child to take part in the study. Yes No Name of Child (please print): ... Parent (print name): ... Signed: ... Parent Date: ... Contact telephone number: ...
Appendix 1(d): Consent letter for SNAs
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs A Joint Research Project carried out by Bangor University, Wales, St Patrick’s College, Dublin and Birmingham University, England. Study funded by the National Council for
Special Education.
September 2009 Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to invite you to take part in the second phase of a study of access to the curriculum for young pupils with Special Educational Needs (junior infants to second class). The study is in two parts. It is being funded by the NCSE and conducted on behalf of the NCSE by researchers from Bangor University, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, and Birmingham University.
The overall aims of the study are to:
1. Describe the ways in which mainstream primary teachers differentiate the curriculum to meet the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs 2. Explore how pupils with SEN access and experience the curriculum
The first phase, which consisted of a questionnaire, has already been completed, and your principal has expressed an interest in taking part in Phase 2 of the study.
As a result of the information supplied about your school in the questionnaire (in regard to the nature of pupils’ SEN and other factors such as the number and gender of pupils and school location) we have short-listed your school for Phase 2 and have asked your principal to pass this letter to you to tell you what taking part in the study would involve for you, and give you the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Please read the information below and decide whether you wish to participate or not. You are free to choose whether or not to participate, and need not participate unless you wish to do so even if other members of your school community are taking part. If you do choose to participate you will be free to withdraw your consent at any time.
In this phase of the study we will be looking in depth at the experience of young pupils with special educational needs in up to 15 mainstream primary schools, (including we hope your school) using a combination of observation and interviews.
Participation will involve a one – two day visit to your school by members of the research team. During the visit we will observe some of the young pupils with SEN (from Junior and Senior infants, first and second class, as appropriate) over the course of two
lessons. Pupils to be observed, will be selected in consultation with the principal, you and other relevant school personnel, and will of course, be dependent on both written parental consent, and verbal or written assent from the pupil themselves. Observations will be supported by interviews with you, the classroom teacher, the pupils’ parents, the pupils themselves and other relevant professionals involved with these pupils. Where appropriate we would also like to look at the pupils’ IEPs and other relevant documentation.
The findings from the research will be submitted in a report to the NCSE and may also later be presented at conferences and published in journal papers. No identifying information with regard to the individuals or schools participating will be included in any report or publication and, within the limitations of the law, anonymity and, confidentiality will be respected at all times.
If, when you have read this statement, you are willing to participate in the project please sign the attached form and return it in the envelope provided.
If you decide to take part, we will arrange to talk with you on the phone about your participation before coming to the school. If you would like to talk to a member of the research team before giving your initial consent, please contact Dr Cathal Butler on 018842350.
Yours sincerely, Dr Jean Ware
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs
Consent Form
I have read about the study on access to the curriculum for young children with SEN in Ireland and I understand what is involved.
I am willing to participate in the study. I understand that I can withdraw this consent at any time
Signed: ... SNA ... School Date: ...
Appendix 1(e): Consent letter for teachers
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs A Joint Research Project carried out by Bangor University, Wales, St Patrick’s College, Dublin and Birmingham University, England. Study funded by the National Council for
Special Education.
September 2009 Dear Sir / Madam,
I am writing to invite you to take part in the second phase of a study of access to the curriculum for young pupils with Special Educational Needs (junior infants to second class). The study is in two parts. It is being funded by the NCSE and conducted on behalf of the NCSE by researchers from Bangor University, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, and Birmingham University.
The overall aims of the study are to:
1. Describe the ways in which mainstream primary teachers differentiate the curriculum to meet the learning needs of pupils with special educational needs 2. Explore how pupils with SEN access and experience the curriculum
The first phase, which consisted of a questionnaire, has already been completed, and your principal has expressed an interest in taking part in Phase 2 of the study.
As a result of the information supplied about your school in the questionnaire (in regard to the nature of pupils’ SEN and other factors such as the number and gender of pupils and school location) we have short-listed your school for Phase 2 and have asked your principal to pass this letter to you to tell you what taking part in the study would involve for you, and give you the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Please read the information below and decide whether you wish to participate or not. You are free to choose whether or not to participate, and need not participate unless you wish to do so even if other members of your school community are taking part. If you do choose to participate you will be free to withdraw your consent at any time.
In this phase of the study we will be looking in depth at the experience of young pupils with special educational needs in up to 15 mainstream primary schools, (including we hope your school) using a combination of observation and interviews.
Participation will involve a one – two day visit to your school by members of the research team. During the visit we will observe some of the young pupils with SEN (from Junior and Senior infants, first and second class, as appropriate) over the course of two lessons. Pupils to be observed, will be selected in consultation with the principal, you and other
relevant school personnel, and will of course, be dependent on both written parental consent, and verbal or written assent from the pupil themselves. It will be up to you, as the class teacher to select the lessons to be observed in consultation with the research team prior to the visit. We will not observe any lessons other than those we have previously agreed with you. Observations will be supported by interviews with you, relevant special needs assistants, the pupils’ parents, the pupils themselves and other relevant professionals involved with these pupils. Where appropriate we would also like to look at the pupils’ IEPs and other relevant documentation.
The findings from the research will be submitted in a report to the NCSE and may also later be presented at conferences and published in journal papers. No identifying information with regard to the individuals or schools participating will be included in any report or publication and, within the limitations of the law, anonymity and, confidentiality will be respected at all times.
If, when you have read this statement, you are willing to participate in the project please sign the attached form and return it in the envelope provided.
If you decide to take part, we will arrange to talk with you on the phone about your participation before coming to the school. If you would like to talk to a member of the research team before giving your initial consent, please contact Dr Cathal Butler on 018842350.
Yours sincerely, Dr Jean Ware
Access to the Curriculum for Young Children with Special Educational Needs
Consent Form
I have read about the study on access to the curriculum for young children with SEN in Ireland and I understand what is involved.
I am willing to participate in the study. I understand that I can withdraw this consent at any time
Signed: ... Teacher ... School Date: ...