First key finding additional needs

The first k e y finding o f this study is that m any o f the pup ils w h o transferred from mainstream sch o o ls to special sch ools for pupils w ith M G L D had additional needs and that SE B D w as prevalent am ongst these. Teachers and principals in m ainstream and special sch o o ls reported that m any o f the pupils w ith M G LD w h o transferred to the special sch oo ls had also experienced SE B D . W hile som e pupils w h o transferred w ere identified b y principals across cases as having behavioural or conduct disorders, for m any pupils, the description o f S E B D w as based on the observations o f parents, teachers and principals in mainstream and special schools. Teachers, o f pupils w ho had transferred due to S E B D in m ainstream cla sses in primary sch o o ls, described the behaviours as ch allen gin g and difficu lt to cop e w ith in a classroom environm ent. S o m e parents suggested that d ifficu lties experienced b y pupils in accessin g the curriculum in m ainstream sch ools w ere a contributing cause o f these behaviours.

6 .3 .1 S u p p o r t f o r p u p ils e x p e r ie n c in g S E B D in m a in s tr e a m a n d s p e c ia l s c h o o ls

The prevalence o f S E B D reported in this study am ongst pup ils w h o transferred to special sch o o ls for pupils w ith M G L D , raises questions about the adequacy o f supports for these pupils in m ainstream schools. Parents o f pup ils w ith behavioural difficu lties expressed dissatisfaction w ith the level o f support received in m ainstream primary and post-prim ary sch o ols, and so m e o f these parents expressed the v ie w that teachers in m ainstream sch o o ls lacked the n ecessary expertise required to deal w ith th ese d ifficu lties. M ost o f the m ainstream primary teachers and principals suggested that teachers in special sch o o ls had greater le v e ls o f expertise in supporting pupils with behavioural d ifficu lties than teachers in m ainstream sch ools. H ow ever, this v ie w w as not supported b y teachers and principals in special sch o o ls w h o suggested that experience in dealing w ith S E B D , rather than expertise in term s o f

additional qualifications, w as the m ain difference in terms o f provision in m ainstream and special sch o ols. This v ie w is supported by Ware et a l.’s (2 0 0 9 ) study w h ich found evid en ce that ju st over a quarter o f teachers in special sch ools held special education qualifications at diplom a lev e l or higher. S om e o f the teachers in special sch ools in the current study indicated that they also found so m e behaviours very challenging but they suggested that high le v e ls o f support received from other m em bers o f staff w ithin the special sch o o l w ere b en eficial in dealing w ith th ese behaviours. W hile this suggests a n eed for further professional developm ent for teachers in both sectors, there is also a need for the develop m ent o f support structures w ithin m ainstream schools for teachers o f pupils w ith SE B D . Concerns in relation to com petence am ongst teachers to support pupils w ith SE B D w ere raised in a recent review o f practice and ou tcom es in the education o f pup ils w ith em otional disturbance/behaviour d ifficu lties1 (C ooper and Jacobs, 2011). A recom m endation w as m ade for the establishm ent o f benchm ark m inim um standards o f com petence am ong all teachers o f pupils w ith SE B D . W h ile teachers and principals in mainstream and special sch o o ls in the current study em phasised the p revalence o f SE B D am ongst pupils w h o transferred from m ainstream schools, parents and pupils placed greater em phasis on the social d ifficu lties and isolation experienced b y pupils in the m ainstream setting.

6 .3 .2 S o c ia l is o la tio n o f p u p ils w ith M ild G e n e r a l L e a r n in g D is a b ilitie s in m a in stre a m s c h o o ls

The findings o f the current study highlight the im pact o f social isolation on the developm ent o f SE B D in pupils w h o transfer to special sch ools for p u p ils w ith M G L D . For m any pupils, this experience o f social exclusion began at the m id d le stages o f primary school. This was reported as a cau se o f concern for parents in particular, as m any spoke o f the effects

o f social iso la tio n in m ainstream schools on their children. S om e parents spoke o f the teasing, or b u llying, experienced b y pupils and this w as referred to b y so m e o f the pupils them selves. This finding dem onstrates the need to facilitate social inclusion o f pupils w ith M G L D , particularly as they get older and progress through the m ainstream primary school. There seem ed to b e a sen se o f acceptance from teachers and principals, in both m ainstream and special sch oo ls, that this social isolation w as inevitable. There w as a suggestion that, because o f the developm ental delay experienced b y pupils w ith M G L D and the tendency for their m ainstream peers to mature m ore quickly, pupils tended to grow apart from each other. O ne principal o f a post-prim ary school described a pupil w ith M G L D , w h o had eventually transferred to the special school, as an ‘obvious target for m aking fun o f .’ This w as contrasted b y a sen se o f frustration and h elp lessn ess on the part o f so m e parents w ho described their experiences o f having approached sch ools to seek help for their children in relation to socia l inclusion. For som e parents, the desire to protect their children from being so c ia lly isolated w a s a dom inant factor in the d ecision to seek alternative placem ent. W hile the social isolation o f pupils w ith M G LD is not unique to the Irish context (Pijl, Frostad & Flem , 2 0 0 8 ), the im portance o f having form alised system s o f so cia l support in sch o ols has b een recogn ised as central to the inclusion process (Travers et al., 2 0 1 0 ). There is a need for m ainstream sch oo ls at primary and post-primary lev els to place a m uch greater em phasis on the social in clu sio n o f pupils w ith M GLD and to identify those w h o are vulnerable to teasing and b ullying from their peers. Programmes to develop and foster p o sitiv e relationships and to support those experiencin g isolation need to be a central part o f interventions for pupils w ith M G LD, both at an individual lev el and as part o f the sch o o l curriculum in m ainstream schools.

N orw ich (200 8 a) describes the placem ent dilem m a as w hether and to what extent pupils w ith SE N should leam in mainstream classes. This dilem m a w as apparent in the v iew s expressed by som e teachers in this study in relation to the SE B D experienced by pupils w ith M G L D w h o transferred from mainstream schools. Principals and teachers in m ainstream sch o o ls reported that special schools were better equipped to cop e w ith the challenging behaviours presented b y these pupils. This suggests an assum ption, on the part o f teachers in this study, that the m ainstream system is lim ited in terms o f its ability to m eet the needs o f these pupils and that alternative placem ent is necessary in these circum stances. W hen v iew e d in the context o f the current national p o lic y o f in clu sion o f pupils w ith SE N in m ainstream sch ools, these findings raise questions about the su ccess o f this p o lic y to date for pupils w ith M G L D and additional needs. A lthough the num ber o f pupils w h o transfer to special sch o o ls for pupils w ith M G L D is sm all in proportion to the population o f pup ils w ith M G L D in Irish mainstream sch oo ls, the increase in number transferring is indicative o f failure w ithin the mainstream system to m eet the needs o f pupils w ith com p lex needs. T his is particularly evident w here pupils w ith M GLD experience SE B D . In their study o f the role o f special sch o ols and classes in Ireland, Ware et al. (2 0 09) recom m end that special sch o o ls should b e enabled to continue to cater for the needs o f pupils w ith com p lex needs in the absence o f evid en ce that m ainstream schools could provide a better education for these pupils. T he findings o f the current study indicate a lack o f con fid en ce and expertise am ongst teachers in mainstream sch oo ls in term s o f their ability to m eet the learning needs o f the pupils w ith M G L D and SE B D w h o transferred to the special schools.