Think piece on parents, ‘off rolling’ and wavelength methodology: issues for SENCos

Abstract

This think piece argues for a novel qualitative methodology that permits social justice researchers, including National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination students, to highlight the profound affects of exclusionary school practices for parents of children with SEN and/or disabilities (SEND). Such children are proportionately effected by these practices. The piece was prompted by multi-strand research into 'off rolling' (illegal exclusionary practices), in which 53 parents described the process through which their child was removed from roll and their relationship with the school's SEN coordinator (SENCo). A preview of the latter is given, which suggests that SENCos' capacity to influence senior leader decision making around exclusion can be limited. A 'wavelength methodology' permits the highlighting of moral injury and provokes difficult questions around school policy, discriminatory practices and SENCo efficacy in minimising exclusion of students with SEND.

Exclusion and the strategic leadership role of SENCos in England: planning for Covid‐19 and future crises

“…Nevertheless, the insights gained into SENCos' work during this time can inform future research design. The illegality of some exclusionary practices has previously raised concerns about the authenticity of participant responses and levels of understanding of what constitutes an illegal exclusion (Done & Knowler, 2021 ; Done et al, 2021 ), and similar concerns arose in the reported study.…”

“…The Covid‐19 pandemic has both highlighted and exacerbated familiar issues related to SEND provision in English schools, including the apparent reluctance of an as‐yet unknown proportion of SENCos to challenge exclusionary practices and inconsistencies related to inclusive practice (Done et al, 2021 ). The post‐pandemic period presents an opportunity to review educational priorities thoroughly in relation to students with SEND and marginalised social groups.…”

“…The reported study is one of an ongoing series of small‐scale collaborative research projects undertaken by researchers at the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter that focus on exclusionary practices in schools in England and the perspectives of varied stakeholders on illegal exclusionary practices (Done & Knowler, 2020a , 2020b , 2020c , 2021 ; Done et al, 2021 ). It was anticipated that the unique conditions presented by the closure of schools nationally in response to the Covid‐19 pandemic, accompanied by partial re‐opening for children classified as ‘vulnerable’ (DfE & Williamson, 2020a , 2020b ), might lead to increased levels of exclusion (Daniels et al, 2020 ).…”

‘Off‐rolling’ and Foucault’s art of visibility/invisibility: An exploratory study of senior leaders’ views of ‘strategic’ school exclusion in southwest England

“…Gaining insight into the divergent viewpoints in these groups is integral to poststructuralist analysis of relations of force that expand or limit agentic possibilities. The characterisation of this multi‐stranded and evolving research project as deploying a ‘wavelength methodology’ (Done et al., 2021) is apt since it is the amplitude of wavelengths which determines volume and, accordingly, only purposeful listening will ensure the audibility of some wavelengths. Similarly, the electromagnetic spectrum contains visible light but also invisible components such as radio waves and microwaves; the latter may not be visible but can be detected and their effects made visible.…”

“…There were only 21 responses to the senior leader survey, all from urban secondary settings, with a small proportion that had training in SEN provision coordination (SENCos). Consequently, the research then evolved into a multi‐stranded project, including data collection from parents (Done et al., 2021) and SENCos and the analysis of social media posts from education professionals.…”