Meanu Bajwa-Patel - PhD Student Profile
Name of Student: Meanu Bajwa-Patel
Names of supervisors: Professor Richard Rose; Dr Cristina Devecchi
Title of project: Exploring the issue of parental choice and school placement for pupils with a statement of SEN across the primary and secondary phases
Project abstract (max 250 words):
The British government's Green Paper, Support and Aspiration (2011), advocated a series of changes to the SEN system. The percentage of 'children formally assessed as having SEN' varies across European countries, however there is a common move towards inclusion in mainstream although of course some countries are further down this road than others. In England, despite national laws (Equalities Act - 2010) and both European Union and International declarations encouraging inclusion, (UNESCO Salamanca Statement - 1994 and Key Principles for Promoting Quality in Inclusive Education - 2009), children with SEN are often still educated away from their local communities.
This study looks at the reasons behind why parents, whose children have a wide range of SEN, choose special schools, many of which are outside of their local communities, instead of their local mainstream schools. Data is being gathered from a sample of relevant parents to help answer the research questions:
- How do parents of children who have a SEN Statement make decisions to send their children either to mainstream or special schools?
- What are the aspirations of parents of children who have a SEN Statement?
- In choosing either mainstream or a special school what in-school factors do parents of children who have a SEN Statement perceive as being important for the support of their children in schools?
A mixed research approach, involving surveys, interviews and document analysis is being used.
Contact details: Meanu.Bajwa-Patel@northampton.ac.uk
Recent conference presentations and published papers:
Exploring the issue of parental choice & school placement for pupils with a statement of special educational needs across the primary & secondary phases of the English school system. Presented at AERA 2012, Vancouver.