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Developing positive school–home relationships through structured conversations with parents of learners with special educational needs and disabilities ( SEND )
Author(s) -
Lendrum Ann,
Barlow Alexandra,
Humphrey Neil
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of research in special educational needs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.543
H-Index - 27
ISSN - 1471-3802
DOI - 10.1111/1471-3802.12023
Subject(s) - psychology , fidelity , intervention (counseling) , qualitative research , inclusion (mineral) , special needs , special education , special educational needs , medical education , developmental psychology , pedagogy , social psychology , medicine , sociology , social science , psychiatry , electrical engineering , engineering
Parents play a crucial role in their children's education, and their active involvement can lead to better outcomes. However, evidence suggests that parental engagement and confidence among perhaps the most vulnerable group of learners – those with special educational needs and disabilities ( SEND ) – may be lower than for those without difficulties. We report on research exploring a model for developing positive home–school relationships, known as ‘structured conversations with parents’, which was implemented as part of a comprehensive intervention to improve outcomes for learners with SEND (the A chievement for A ll pilot). Our research design utilised both quantitative and qualitative elements, including school‐level surveys, parent questionnaires, interviews with key personnel and stakeholders, and case studies of pupils/parents in participating schools across 10 local authorities in E ngland. Our analyses suggest that the structured conversations with parents were successful in achieving their intended outcomes, albeit with important caveats in relation to issues of individual differences, implementation fidelity/adherence and sustainability.