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Exclusion and the strategic leadership role of SENCos in England: planning for Covid‐19 and future crises
Author(s) -
Done Elizabeth J.,
Knowler Helen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
british journal of special education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8578
pISSN - 0952-3383
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8578.12388
Subject(s) - covid-19 , closure (psychology) , pandemic , strategic planning , sociology , pedagogy , political science , psychology , public relations , medicine , business , disease , pathology , marketing , virology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law
A small‐scale study investigated the role of SENCos in England immediately prior to, during and following the first closure of schools nationally in March 2020 due to the Covid‐19 pandemic. A mixed‐methods research strategy comprising semi‐structured interviews and a national online survey generated data related to SENCos' involvement in strategic planning for crisis conditions, focusing specifically on students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and concerns about exclusionary practices. Findings suggest that pandemic conditions have exacerbated familiar issues related to the SENCo role and SEND provision in English schools, such as engagement in reactive firefighting, onerous workloads, uneven SENCo involvement in strategic planning, and schools' failure to prioritise students with SEND. Minimal evidence of ‘advocacy leadership’ or of SENCos challenging exclusionary practices was found. As in earlier research, evidence was also found for disparities between anecdotal and published data relating to illegal exclusion.