Bringing SEND Research -- 'Nowhere Fits' and 'Tiger Mothers' -- to Educational Practitioners

Description of impact

Bajwa-Patel published two articles in Schools Week magazine, a trade publication with over 15,000 digital readers. This broad dissemination gave teachers access to current research on provision for students with special educational needs and disability (SEND), enabling them to enhance their professional practice. The articles offered methods for working more sensitively with families of children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).

Stakeholders/Beneficiaries

Teachers
Children with SEND and their families

How have research outputs led to this impact?

Meanu Bajwa-Patel's research has focused on young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and the school choices that their families made for them. The research findings suggested that nowhere really fits when it comes to the needs of young people with certain SEND, including those with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The research demonstrated that the pressure of the schools’ standards agenda causes some mainstream schools to fail to provide for the academic and/or social needs of young people with SEND. These failures contribute to the high school exclusion rates and the soaring mental health crisis amongst young people.

Impact status	Completed
Category of impact	Social impacts, 04: Quality Education (UN SDG), 10: Reduced Inequalities (UN SDG)