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Aim Many children start school with additional health and developmental needs (AHDN), yet how best to support these children for optimal outcomes in the school setting is a complex challenge. This study aims to determine the views of education experts on what differentiates the most effective primary schools. Methods Qualitative interviews were conducted with nine senior leaders across the education system responsible for managing or improving practice across a range of schools or school regions in Victoria. Using a positive deviance approach, which investigates strategies already implemented in organizations achieving desired outcomes, the semi‐structured interviews aimed to elicit instances of perceived good practice that already exists within the school system. Interviews were analysed using inductive content analysis. Results All education experts reported high variability across schools and suggested a number of factors differentiating those that were most effective at supporting children with AHDN. They included the presence of strong teacher support by the school leadership team; explicit and documented processes to guide the practice of teachers and ensure consistency at a whole school level; inclusive relationships and environments; participation and knowledge sharing between medical, allied health and other stakeholders in the care team; and an evidenced‐based approach to allocating resources to programmes and strategies. Conclusion This exploration of instances of good practice can generate novel insights into a complex problem. Current findings suggest a number of potential opportunities for enhancing practice that can be tested in future research. Improving outcomes for this vulnerable and significant group of children will require collaboration across health and education.

The present study reports the experimental evaluation of a training procedure, termed microconsultation, for transmitting a set of interview skills for using behavior modification with teachers. An eight-week summer workshop for experienced school psychologists was conducted with a randomly selected group of 30 trainees who underwent the experimental training procedure. Posttest measures of interview techniques at the end of the eight weeks and after a two-month interval in the trainees' home school districts found significant changes in the predicted direction over control groups receiving videotape exposure and no experimental contact.Consulting with teachers and administrators regarding pupil adjustment is rapidly becoming the service most often requested of psychologists by school personnel. Such consultation not only can lead to improvement in pupil learning but can increase the competency of the classroom teacher to recognize and resolve behavior problems independently (Bower, 1955; Savage, 19S9). The goal of consultation is to help the teacher, parent, or others to perform their function fully and effectively.