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This dissertation is about how to help ensure that children considered to have special needs within the primary school context are enabled to overcome the difficulties they are facing. The premise of this dissertation is that this is most effectively achieved when the child, her teacher and her parents have a genuine role within the decision-making process concerning how to meet such needs. The functioning of the two key relationships in addressing these needs form the focus of this study. Specifically, these are the relationships between the child and her teacher, and her parents and her teacher. The literature relating to these relationships is explored. It seeks to blend the dual streams of literature relating to such relationships in the special needs context with that of the everyday relationships of primary school life. It explores the literature relating to the effect of the process of the Individual Education Plan on these relationships. It notes that the majority of such literature focuses on statemented children and often does not have a specific focus on the primary aged child at the earlier, school based stages of the Code of Practice (1994). This perceived "gap" in the research literature forms the rationale for the research study which follows. The research is within the practitioner-researcher tradition and is located withm the school that I am a teacher at. It is qualitative in nature with a focus on a detailed exploration of a small sample. It utilises an interview technique to gain its data. The study argues that while genuine involvement is often sought, and even presumed, the context of the primary school, the processes of special education and the attitudes of the participants to the relationships tend to result in the teacher retaining the dominant role within the decision making process. It also suggests that the process of the Individual Education Plan may have a somewhat different effect on functioning of the two relationships from that which is often described within the literature. The dissertation concludes by drawing out the factors which appear to determine whether such relationships are genuinely involving, or not. These are described. It then suggests one way in which the findings of the research may be practically applied to enhancing the quality of the two relationships which form the basis of this study and so ensure that the needs of the children within the primary school context are most effectively met.

Line End is an 11-16 day school for pupils categorised as having emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). It is maintained by Farside Local Education Authority, and provides secondary education for pupils who are statemented as having emotional and behavioural difficulties. Some have additional learning difficulties, this assessment being based on reading ages that are considerably lower than their chronological ages, and scores in KS2 SATs that are below National averages. All referrals come through the local authority’s special educational needs department; invariably, the pupils who are placed at Line End either transfer from the EBD primary unit, or are those who have been excluded from mainstream secondary schools within the borough. The aim of the study is to establish the extent to which Line End is felt to be effective by its various stakeholders; and in establishing this position, it is first important to elicit the criteria by which the various stakeholders judge the school to be effective. The first phase of the study, therefore, is aimed at eliciting these stakeholder criteria, whilst the second phase focuses on the extent to which the school is perceived to be effective in its various areas of provision, based on these very criteria. A subsequent analysis of findings seeks to examine stakeholder perspectives, and the extent to which there is congruence and/or divergence of perspective amongst and between stakeholders might create conflict or tensions between and amongst stakeholders. Findings from the first phase of the study suggest that there is broad agreement amongst stakeholders about what should constitute effective provision for Line End pupils: addressing both academic and emotional/behavioural needs effectively, providing a safe and positive environment in which to make such provision, and providing opportunities for the reintegration of pupils to mainstream where appropriate and practicable. These three areas reflect the three major aims of the school as outlined in the staff handbook, and alongside these as key indicators of quality, stakeholders included relationships between home and school, and the management/organisation of the school -the extent to which it was strategically or ‘crisis’ managed. Findings from the second phase of the research suggested that the school was perceived to be effective by virtually all of its stakeholders - in some areas for some of the time. There were differences of perspective within stakeholder groups, and sometimes differences of emphasis between stakeholder groups. These differences did not necessarily lead to tension, as it was possible for differing perspectives to co-exist; the tensions became evident when perspectives conflicted rather than co-existed, as the group or individual who held the greatest power would invariably have its way in translating its perspective into policy and practice.