Lin, Frances, Webster, Rob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1416-4439 and Tadić, Valerija ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3982-0340 (2026) ‘Did I do things right?’ Teachers’ experiences of the policy–practice gap in SEND provision in secondary schools in England. European Journal of Special Needs Education. pp. 1-19. ISSN 0885-6257 (Print), 1469-591X (Online) (doi:10.1080/08856257.2025.2609154)

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Abstract

Students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England are educated in mainstream schools amid rising demand, funding cuts, and staff turnover. While prior research has highlighted teacher workload and lack of training as barriers to inclusion, less attention has been paid to how national policy and accountability structures shape teachers’ perceptions of their capacity to deliver inclusion in practice. This study draws on interviews with 11 mainstream secondary school teachers to examine the systemic and policy-level barriers they face in supporting students with SEND. Thematic analysis revealed three interconnected challenges: the distortive pressures of accountability culture; the mismatch between supply and demand in provision; and teachers’ limited confidence due to insufficient training. Teachers’ accounts illuminate the contradictions between political rhetoric on inclusion and the structures that undermine it. By situating their experiences within the broader context of a shifting policy discourse, this study provides original evidence to suggest that persistent barriers are not simply practical or pedagogical, but symptomatic of long-standing, centrally made choices about funding, training, and accountability. We conclude that proposed reforms to the SEND system provide a generational opportunity to confront these entrenched contradictions, but only if it goes beyond rhetorical commitments to deliver substantive reforms.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The research reported in this paper did not receive funding and was conducted as part of the lead author’s dissertation project for the M.Sc. Psychology (Conversion) degree at University of Greenwich.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	inclusion, policy, secondary education, special educational needs, teacher training
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology L Education > L Education (General) L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1603 Secondary Education. High schools
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Vulnerable Children and Families Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > School of Human Sciences (HUM)
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2026 09:04
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/52294

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