The standards agenda: Reflections of a special educational needs co-ordinator

Glazzard, Jonathan

Abstract

This study is a life history account of Bev, a special educational needs co-ordinator who works in a primary school in England. The research examines how, within Bev's experiences, the discourses of integration and inclusion have affected learners with special educational needs. Additionally, the study examines the impact of the 'performativity' agenda on a mainstream school with a high proportion of learners with special educational needs. The account illustrates how, in Bev's experiences, inclusion operates within a powerful othering framework which marginalises children with special educational needs and their teachers. Additionally, the account raises questions about the risks of choosing to work in schools with high proportions of children with special educational needs within a discourse of performativity. It raises questions about whether the inclusion agenda has resulted in limited forms of inclusion and whether it was easier to meet children's holistic needs under the integration agenda. © 2014 NASEN.

Citation

Glazzard, J. (2014). The standards agenda: Reflections of a special educational needs co-ordinator. Support for Learning, 29(1), 39-53. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12044

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Mar 10, 2014
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Oct 26, 2023
• Journal: Support for Learning
• Print ISSN: 0268-2141
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9604
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 39-53
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9604.12044
• Keywords: Inclusion; Standards; SENCo; Life history
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4425696