Teachers reviewing Annual Reviews

Abstract

Phyllis Jones, Senior Lecturer (Special Educational Needs), and John Swain, Reader in Disability Studies, at the University of Northumbria, report on the first stage of a qualitative investigation into participants’ views of, and feelings about, Annual Reviews. Although this article was submitted before the publication of Special Educational Needs: Consultation Document on the Proposed Revision of the SEN Code of Practice (DfEE, 1999), both highlight the need ‘to reduce the paperwork required of schools and of LEAs in relation to annual reviews’ (p.4). The Document does not envisage any fundamental change to the current regulatory framework for Annual Reviews but this small‐scale study highlights the pressing need for organisationalreform.

Parents reviewing Annual Reviews

“…Some parents had had experiences of Annual Reviews in more than one type of school setting. We adopted a methodology similar to that within our earlier investigation of teachers' views of the Annual Review process (Jones & Swain, 1999).…”

“…These include the belief that parents are experts on their own children; children actually benefit from home-school co-operation; parental skills and expertise can be used hand in hand with teachers' knowledge and skills; and the morale and output of teachers is enhanced through parental co-operation. Recent work by Jones and Swain (1999) involving teachers reviewing Annual Reviews demonstrates the strong positive view that a group of teachers from a range of SEN settings hold for involving parents in the Annual Review process.…”

“…The work of Hughes and Carpenter (1991) highlights the concern that some parents find formal meetings stressful, and that the formality and organisational structures impede their participation. Jones and Swain (1999) reveal that different schools adopt a variety and diversity of systems and structures for supporting the involvement of parents through the process of Annual Reviews, including the meeting itself. It becomes apparent that some systems and strategies appear to encourage and nurture very different levels of parental involvement than others.…”