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Background: Boys are heavily over-represented in the 'EBD population' and school provision reflects this. Little has been written about the general and specific needs of girls or the support which they require. While all pupils experiencing EBD are likely to have common needs, it is also possible that girls' and boys' needs may differ in certain specific areas. Aim: This study aims to access girls' views in order to investigate the educational provision that is made for girls with EBD, and whether this provision is meeting girls' needs. Samples: The research has involved conducting 40 face-to-face, structured interviews with staff and female pupils in two educational settings (a mainstream secondary school and a pupil referral unit). Methods: Interviews were structured around the following questions: What are pupils' and staffs beliefs about girls' behaviour? What do girls and boys need to help them manage their behaviour better? Is there anything that would specifically help girls to manage their behaviour better? The data was analysed using grounded theory methodology. Results: Analysis of the data suggests that behavioural interventions for girls need to include whole school, small group and individual approaches. The data also suggest that girls respond best to social and language-based interventions. Conclusions: These findings can be explained in terms of the proposal by Underwood (2003) that there are differences between girls' and boys' ESD, not in a simplistic dichotomy between internalising and externalising aggressive behaviour as has been previously thought, but because girls' aggression tends to be social, aimed at achieving social harm. Effective interventions are therefore likely to be those that utilise social forces: peer pressure, role models and language.

In this study I seek to evaluate the effect of music education on the personal and social development of disturbed children and to ascertain the feasibility of incorporating such teaching into the curriculum of EBD day schools. Apart from the author's own professional practice there was little observable practice and this, combined with the difficulties of actually observing teachers working with disturbed children, placed restrictions on the scope of empirical study. Within this limitation, action research was combined with interviews, case studies and questionnaires to determine the attitude of pupils to music. Analysis of the impact of music education on the behaviour of disturbed children indicates that it has some potential to benefit their social and emotional readjustment and, at the same time, demonstrates the marked effect of pupil behaviour on the curricular intentions of the teacher. It becomes apparent that it is not feasible to work within the confines of a prescribed, developmental syllabus and that, whilst the overall aim may be to encompass much of the mainstream syllabus, the inroads to that syllabus in this context will be apparently random reflecting the child's lack of sustained concentration and fleeting moments of interest. This changing emphasis brings about a re-evaluation of the concept of music teaching and a comparison is made with music therapy in an attempt to discern which is the nearest model to therapeutic education. A retrospective view of general educational provision for disturbed children includes consideration of causation, the special skills required of teachers and an analysis of classroom problems. Problems for the researcher working in this field are diverse but in spite of the restraints, limited findings emerge which constitute the central focus of this thesis - they being that music education can be successfully incorporated into the curriculum of EBD day schools and that it may positively effect the personal development and interpersonal relationships between disturbed children. These findings are central to the recommendations made for future research and curricular development.

This study illustrates the creation, exploration and analysis of the narratives of five primary school children with a diagnosis of Tourette's syndrome (TS). Additionally it provides the analysis of thematic data gathered from semi-structured interviews conducted with their teachers which focused upon the teachers' perspectives of teaching a child with TS. The aims of this study are to: to gauge a better understanding of the children's views of their TS and their primary school experience; consider the interactions within this environment; and consider interventions and approaches that might support children in primary school. The children participating in this study do not wish to be defined by their TS, and they make semi-successful attempts to supress tics. However, their limited success at tic suppression sometimes leads to misinterpretation by teachers of the nature of tics. The children's attempts to suppress their tics and others' misinterpreted responses may have implications for their emotional development and access to learning. The children's teachers report a lack of easily accessible information about TS. Subsequently, they feel unsupported and unknowledgeable about how to provide effective support; instead, they build knowledge and understanding through experience. Having a 'sanctuary' within school and an adult to advocate on their behalf is cited as a potentially supportive strategy. Peer support and peer education are also thought to be of value; however, there are exceptions, making it important to listen to individual children about their perceived support needs. Implications for Educational Psychologist's practice and the limitations of this study are also discussed.

Based within the professional practice of an Educational Psychology Service, this study considers the way that teachers and LSAs working in primary schools understand and make sense of the behaviour of children who are 'looked after' , Positioned within an ontol99icaJ framework of Critical Realism, this study uses a mixed methods design to consider both problematic and non-problematic behaviour. Firstly, a questionnaire was administered to identify teachers and LSAs who gave high and low scores relating to the behaviour of children who were 'looked after, These participants then took part in follow up interviews based within a Grounded Theory approach, which was also used to analyse the data, A Grounded Theory emerged from the data, which indicated that teachers and LSAs were understanding, making sense of, and responding to the childrens' emotional needs in a way that referenced the psychodynamic process of "Container and Contained", It is also argued that the teachers and LSAs were able to respond in this manner because the school also functioned as "Container and Contained" for them. A theoretical discussion of "Container and Contained" with in this context is further considered including discussion regarding the validity of the Grounded Theory. Finally, recommendations are made for teachers, support staff and Educational Psychologists with regard to developing the good practice which has been identified here, in order to support children who are 'looked after'

Managed transfers were first introduced into government guidance in 2004 and are generally recognised as the process of moving disaffected students onto new schools or provisions to avoid permanent exclusion. The local authority involved in this study has experienced a significant increase in the number of managed transfers over the past seven years, with the majority of these taking place in the secondary sector. The aim of this research was to provide the local authority with a better understanding of how these managed transfers were working, focusing on the student's experience. This study utilised a sequential mixed-methods design encompassing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. In the first stage, the quantitative findings provided the local authority with descriptive statistics on the numbers, outcomes, patterns and characteristics of students placed on managed transfers. It highlighted the importance of quantitative data collection for monitoring managed transfers, influencing policy formation and practice. In the second stage of this study, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse six secondary-aged students' experiences of managed transfers to mainstream secondary schools. The findings revealed a number of pertinent themes and issues which, it was hoped, would enable the local authority to improve and build upon current practice. These were identified as: the importance of including and listening to students' voices in the early stages of a managed transfer; the importance of student reflection during a managed transfer; experiences that enabled students to settle into new placements and students' experiences of transformation and change

The study investigated the factors associated with the successful reintegration of one 'looked after' young person, following a long period out of mainstream education. A review of existing literature revealed a lack of research investigating the reintegration outcomes for 'looked after' children and young people. This is surprising given the concern around the exclusion from school of this group and the poor educational outcomes associated with them, which are well documented in existing literature. Qualitative methodology was used to gain the views of the adults supporting the young person and an abbreviated form of grounded theory was used to analyse the data. The participants perceived a number of factors to be relevant in the young person's successful reintegration. Following my analysis of the data the facilitating factors were divided into core categories associated with the young person, the young person's foster carer, reintegration planning and ongoing support. My interpretation of the data indicates that foster carers can play a crucial role in the successful reintegration of 'looked after' children and young people and their recruitment and training should therefore be given careful consideration. Reintegration planning was perceived to be highly important and indicates that professionals supporting 'looked after' children and young people should work together using formalised procedures and involve the young person in the decision making. Ongoing support was interpreted to be crucial in terms of accessing appropriate services and providing consistency of support. In addition a critical factor was perceived to be that key adults were able to 'fight the corner' of the 'looked after' young person.

This thesis presents a longitudinal qualitative case study of the educational experiences and outcomes of a sample of looked after young people. The majority of these young people are in foster care and a smaller number are in residential care. They cannot live at home for a variety of reasons including: inadequate parenting, neglect, abuse, or because some are beyond parental control. Children and young people who are 'looked after' by the state are vulnerable to a range of disadvantage including poor educational achievement. The study concentrates on a group of fourteen young people in one authority in South Wales whose educational achievements and experiences were tracked over three school years, from Year 9 to Year 11. The study explores links between a number of issues that appear to impact on their educational outcomes including: young people's background, type of care placement, stability and continuity of care and school placement and educational experiences. A number of the young people were interviewed over a three year period while aged between fourteen and sixteen. This was a significant time for the young people as it straddled two important assessment stages in their schooling. Some of the young people achieved well in their education during this period, whilst for others their schooling deteriorated as their lives became disrupted by care placement and school changes. Another group had particular challenging needs and there was little evidence that any sustained progress was achieved during mis three year period. The thesis focuses on multiple in-depth interviews with young people and includes carer and professional perspectives. It identifies individual, operational, policy and strategic features that help account for poor educational outcomes and also suggests ways to improve their attainment in school.

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