Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Monitoring mechanisms of support services for students with special needs can be broadly classified
as external and internal. Resembling the UK model,
Hong Kong has adopted an internal mechanism
through the establishment of the SENCo post.
This investigation, written by Dr Kim Fong PoonMcBrayer, of the Hong Kong Institute of Education,
explores how SENCos understand the policy intention of their roles, what the role entails in practice,
and what work conditions are usual for participants.
This qualitative study involved semi-structured
interviews to probe SENCos experiences. Findings
reveal that SENCos assume management but not
leadership roles in special educational needs provision. Policy deviation, and the prevalent autocratic
leadership style across schools in Hong Kong, are
the key contributors to conditions seen as unsatisfactory, of overwork, of the inadequate planning of
provision, and of the need for professional and clerical support. It is concluded that policymakers can
make improvements through implementing practical training in participatory governance for headteachers, developing a training model for SENCos,
and providing SENCos with additional personnel
resources. Further studies to gain a fuller picture of
the organisational contexts are recommended.
Key words: SENCos, inclusive education policy,
school leadership.
2012 The Author. British Journal of Special Education 2012 NASEN. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road,
Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8578.2012.00539.x
95
Number (%)
4 (67%)
4 (67%)
3 (50%)
2 (33%)
6 (100%)
6 (100%)
6 (100%)
4 (67%)
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Resource allocation
Insufficient support from school management, heavy workload, and inadequate resources are frequently noted with any
new educational initiative and are not unique to the establishment of the SENCo role. Fifteen years after the establishment of the SENCo roles, English policymakers specified the
leadership status of SENCos in the new 2008 regulations and
appropriated funds for training, to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing the role of the SENCo in shaping and
improving special educational needs provision. Likewise,
Hong Kong policymakers should examine, as a companion to
facilitating leadership development, the possibility of providing funds to increase paraprofessional support to maintain a
reasonable level of workload and to allow time for SENCo
training. They must also support school leaders so that tensions arising from workload and resource issues can be
minimised during the evolution of SENCos roles.
Research implications
The current lack of data on Hong Kong SENCos necessitates a definitive call for further studies. Findings of this
initial investigation suggest the need for an associated larger
study to examine the views of headteachers on special educational needs policies and provision and their experiences
and constraints when establishing the role of the SENCo, to
gain a full understanding of contextual factors that have
contributed to policy deviation and the current state of
operation. When focused on educational reform, it is clear
that one major responsibility of the research community is to
carry out a systematic and comprehensive study of the
implementation of change (Keogh, 1990).
Conclusion
Narrowing the gap between policy and practice is a continuing challenge to all. The change of policy from confining the
practice of inclusive education to a small number of schools
(Poon-McBrayer, 1999) to widening it to all Hong Kong
schools in the last decade testifies to the impact of unstoppable worldwide trends in inclusive education. Resources
designated to support special educational needs provision
continue to increase as well. These developments, and the
policy of school-based management for Hong Kong schools,
have together set a foundation for building a school-based
system through the establishment of SENCos to intensify
school-wide engagement in inclusive education and to
facilitate policies and practices responsive to individual
organisational contexts. The potential benefits are considerable. If Hong Kong policymakers are committed to improving special educational needs provision through this schoolbased mechanism, understanding factors contributing to
policy deviation and examining ways of developing the role
of the SENCo in Hong Kong schools should be urgent tasks.
Whether the roles of Hong Kong SENCos will be expanded
and evolved like their British counterparts is contingent
upon efforts from policymakers and school management to
eliminate barriers and create a conducive environment for
their effective functioning.
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References
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