The meeting in Sofia was only the second face-to-face meeting of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education since the pandemic. There was still excitement about holding a face-to-face event and this was evident in the exchanges during the main sessions, in the more informal discussion groups and in the margins of all the organised meetings.
The main sessions always provide significant updates on current Agency projects. Projects usually run for two years, plus or minus and the meeting in Sofia gave us updates on projects that are just getting underway, progress reports on projects that are in full swing, and final reports on projects that are just concluding.
One of the final reports that has now been published is on the Changing Role of Specialist Provision in Supporting Inclusive Provision (CROSP) - as with all the Agency projects, an unwieldy full title, but a snappy acronym. At the last bi-annual meeting of the Agency, in Athens, we had spent some time discussing the review tool that had been developed in conjunction with the CROSP project. At the time, I had been struck by the strong framework of values and by the clear links made in the Agency materials, between the values and the more practical actions needed to realise those values. It seemed to me that, with a clear set of principles set out in Section 19 of the Children and Families Act (CFA), there were important messages for us about translating a framework of values into practical action.
One of the principles in s.19 of CFA focuses on:
"The importance of the child and his or her parent, or the young person, participating as fully as possible in decisions relating to the exercise of the function concerned."
The function concerned refers to functions under Part 3, the part of CFA that covers children and young people in England with special educational needs or disabilities. This principle sits at the heart of one of the Agency projects, the Voices into Action (VIA) project, for which we got a ‘progress report’ in Sofia. The work started in 2021 and examines the critical issue of how the voices of learners and their families are heard and more specifically, how learners and their families are included in decision-making. The project aims to promote a more participatory culture at local, regional and national levels and chimes nicely with our s.19 principles.
Phase 1 of the work included an analysis of the literature on effective involvement and the collection and analysis of examples of effective practice from member countries. Phase 2 started in 2022 and will conclude with the publication of the final outputs in 2023. The work has involved ‘cluster activities’ including workshops with representatives from three Agency member countries working with learners and families nationally to identify the essential elements of meaningful participation. The Agency regularly includes practical tools to support the implementation of the findings from projects and the VIA outputs will include an online toolkit. In the words of the Agency:
VIA outcomes will help the Agency staff, as well as Agency member countries, find inspiration for organising relevant activities with learners and/or families. They can use the outputs to ensure the meaningful participation of learners and families in their future work.
European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education
The literature review is now published and is up on the Agency website. It summarises important European and international policy information on the topic and sets out key research knowledge from the past 20 years.
Despite some impressive examples, including examples we submitted from England, the analysis of the literature highlights the patchy nature of effective participation across Europe.
From the recognition of children as agents to their effective enjoyment of this right, it has taken over 30 years of reiterated policy work and school practices. Children’s rights to be heard and considered in matters affecting them extends to ALL children. However, even though European Union countries have ratified and signed legally binding treaties/charters that state and protect children’s rights, this is not granted or systematised yet.
The Agency has started work on the toolkit to support the more systematic inclusion of learner and family voices in decision-making. In the final report, the toolkit will sit alongside existing theoretical models for learner and family participation, key principles and examples collected from member countries in phase 1. The whole package is designed to highlight important considerations for involving learners and families more systematically in educational decision-making at all levels.
Given where we are with the SEND Review, this is an important moment for us to consider how improved participation in decision-making could better support the implementation of the intentions of CFA. The recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) report on the educational experiences of young people with SEN and disabilities suggests that we have not yet personalised our responses to young people’s special educational needs and disabilities in a way that recognises the wide variety and individual nature of those needs:
"A recurrent theme from young participants, parents, carers and staff was that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to support does not work when young people's needs and preferences are so varied."
The Agency’s work acknowledges that every learner has their own unique experiences of discrimination and/or barriers to learning and that learner and family participation in decision-making is a key ingredient in meeting individual needs more effectively.
On the evening of the full day of the Agency meeting in Sofia, the Bulgarian government treated national representatives to a traditional Bulgarian evening meal in a restaurant in the mountains just outside Sofia. Along with the meal, which was of massive proportions, there was entertainment with a traditional band, traditional singing and traditional dancing. After the meal we were invited outside to watch Nestinari, dancing barefoot on red hot coals, traditional in Bulgaria and parts of Greece and Turkey.
It was quite spectacular. Initially, there was ritualistic preparation of the coals, with beautiful patterns created by the raking and turning of the coals in the cold dark night. Then the dancing began, with the dancing partners gradually increasing the speed and intensity of the dancing. Finally, a few members of the audience were carried across the red hot coals as the partners continued to dance.
I am not particularly seeking a metaphor here for the next steps in the SEND Review, just seeking to convey something of the spectacular nature of the end of the evening. And, on a personal note, as I step into retirement, an amazing end to my last meeting as National Coordinator for England with the European Agency.
Wish you were here!
Philippa