Pupil involvement in special educational needs disagreement resolution: some perceived barriers to including children in mediation

Recent legislation in England has encouraged the use of disagreement resolution and mediation and emphasised the need to involve pupils in their own schooling. These policies apply in the educational

system generally, but are particularly significant in the area of special educational needs (SEN).

Kirstie Soar, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of East London; Katie Burke, a

PhD student at Salford University, Manchester; Katia Herbst, an independent researcher offering

research and development services to the not-for- profit sector; and Professor Irvine Gersch, Director of the MSc educational psychology programme at the University of East London, set out to examine how pupil involvement in informal disagreement resolution has developed across 11 English regions

since its introduction. The research consisted of 12 in-depth interviews with local education authority(LEA) SEN officers, mediators and parent partnership officers (PPOs) involved in informal

special educational needs disagreement resolution. The aims of the study were to determine how far

children were actually involved in mediation and what, if any, barriers existed which were seen to restrict such pupil involvement. A thematic analysis of interview content was conducted. Four major themes emerged, including: the distinction between direct and indirect pupil involvement; the

importance of the child’s view and how it is elicited; the role of other agencies; and other

barriers to pupil involvement in informal disagreement resolution. Direct pupil involvement

was found to be limited and variable, but indirect pupil involvement was more prevalent. In this article, the authors note a series of recommendations concerning pupil involvement in the mediation process and, in conclusion, put forward the implications of their work for future policy, practice and research.