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Educational Support and Inclusion - Research

Details of all ESI Research Projects are listed below:

INDEX OF INCLUSION

Funding Agency: Various incl. TTA, DfEE + LEAs
Director: Prof. M. Ainscow
Grant: approx. £30K
Dates: 1997-2000

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLES OF LEAs IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT

Funding Agency: Blackburn with Darwen LEA
Director: Prof. M. Ainscow
Grant: £30K
Dates: 1998-2001

THE LONG-TERM IMPACT OF RESIDENTIAL PROVISION FOR PUPILS WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES

Funding Agency: Nugent Care Society
Director: Prof. P. Farrell
Chief Researcher: Dr. F. Polat
Grant: £25K
Dates: 1999-2000

THE IMPACT OF THE LOVAAS TEACHING PROGRAMME FOR YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Funding Agency: Lancashire County Council
Director: Prof. P. Farrell
Researcher: Ms. N. Trigonaki
Grant: £30K
Dates: 1999-2001

INCLUDING VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN IN THE MAINSTREAM PRIMARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM

Funding Agency: ESRC
Director: Dr. P. Davis
Grant: £41K
Dates: 2000-2001

EVALUATION OF THE SEN REGIONAL CO-ORDINATION PROJECTS

Funding Agency: DfEE
Director: Prof. P. Farrell, Prof. M. Ainscow
Grant: £142K
Dates: 2000-2002

UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING INCLUSION PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS

Funding Agency: ESRC
Director: Profs. M. Ainscow, T. Booth (Canterbury), A. Dyson (Newcastle)
Grant: £450K
Dates: 2000-2003

ENABLING EDUCATION NETWORK (EENET)

Funding Agency: Save the Children (UK and Sweden) Atlas Alliance, Norway
Directors: Prof. M. Ainscow, Susie Miles
Grant: Approx. £30K p.a.
Dates: on-going

'EDUCATING SICK CHILDREN': A Map of Best Practice'

Prof Peter Farrell and Karen Harris (January 2002)

Introduction

Educational Support and Inclusion within the Faculty of Education at the University of Manchester was awarded the DfES contract to identify effective provision in the area of the Education of Sick Children across the UK. The research project is being funded from January 2002 to July 2002.

The Project Team

The project team consists of Professor Peter Farrell and Karen Harris.

Peter Farrell is Professor of Special Needs and Educational Psychology, Director of Graduate Research and Tutor for the Continuing Professional Development of Educational Psychologists. He has a long-standing interest in the education of pupils with special education needs within an inclusive context and has written several articles and book chapters on the subject. He is currently directing a research project into the education of pupils with Down syndrome in mainstream primary schools.

Karen Harris is a Research Assistant and a temporary Lecturer in Education at the University of Manchester. She is an experienced teacher in special schools and has just completed a semester as Acting Programme Director for the MEd in Special and Inclusive Education. She has experience in undertaking case study and survey research in relation to pupils with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Aims

The broad aims of the research project are to:

• Provide a comprehensive assessment of the factors that promote effective provision and identify innovative approaches.
• Examine existing evidence on current policy and practice across the UK and EU, highlighting good/best practice factors.
• Identify successful strategies and models of good practice in providing education for sick children
• Explore underlying factors contributing to variations in provision across a sample of LEA's

Objectives

The objectives of the research project are two-fold. First, we will identify key factors within LEAs that lead to the development of effective practice in the education of sick children. We will also highlight existing and additional barriers, and indicate ways in which these might be addressed.

Second, we will develop as set of indicators of effective practice that can be used as a staff development tool for professionals, parents and children. These indicators and accompanying review questions will be similar in structure to those used in the Index for Inclusion (Booth et al 2000) and the Good Practice Guide for working with Teaching Assistants (DfEE 2000). The latter were developed out of a previous DfEE funded research project (Farrell, et al 1999).

INCLUDING CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME IN MAINSTREAM PRIMARY SCHOOLS:

SAMANTHA FOX

Background

In recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of pupils with Down Syndrome being educated in the mainstream primary school. There are currently estimated to be some 30,000 individuals with Down syndrome on the UK and between 8 to 9,000 of these are between 5 and 19 years of age. The purpose of this project therefore is to examine the key issues which would seem to be central to the effective inclusion of students with Down Syndrome. The project focuses on the impact of inclusive education for pupils with Down Syndrome as this is the largest group of pupils with learning difficulties who are placed in mainstream primary schools. It will identify the factors that have an impact on the social and academic gains made by these pupils. In addition, this should further our understanding of the extent to which governments policies of "inclusion" are impacting on the development of school policies and practices for all pupils including those with special educational needs.

Main Research Questions:

• How are the pupils with Down Syndrome supported in the classroom and in the school?
• What are the attitudes of the staff, the parents of other pupils and the pupils themselves towards the inclusion of a pupils with Down Syndrome?
• How have the pupils with Down Syndrome progressed academically and socially?

The Project Overview

In order to answer these questions the research team at Manchester University are currently in collaboration with six Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in the North West: Manchester, Salford, Wigan, Lancashire, Bolton and Cheshire. Such a range provides the project with a variety of schools differing in type and operating under a variety of circumstances.

The study will take place over two years during which time case studies of eighteen schools will be. The criteria for selecting the schools will be on the basis that they have admitted the pupil during the six month period immediately prior to the study. The research will include classroom observation; developmental assessment of the pupil and analysis of curriculum based measures and interviews with key staff, parents and pupils.

Outcomes

The overall findings will therefore be relevant to all schools and LEAs who wish to improve their work in this complex area. As a part of this we plan to extend the dissemination process via the production of a research web site.

There will be a conference held each year for the participatory schools and LEAs and other interested parties. Should you wish to join a network of professionals interested in the effective inclusion of children with Down Syndrome in mainstream primary schools email samantha.j.fox@man.ac.uk in the first instance