The complex ecologies of migrant children with special educational needs: Practitioner perspectives of information needs and implications for education

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a series of focus group interviews with three groups of professionals in England, in the period immediately preceding the COVID-19 global pandemic, on the information needed by professionals to support migrant children with special educational needs (SEN) in the English education system. The data gathered were subjected to a thematic analysis revealing four themes: (1) Information about the needs of migrant children with SEN, (2) Information about parents and families, (3) Information about strategies to support migrant children with SEN, (4) The importance of clear and understandable information. The findings emphasise that when information is sought about migrant children with SEN, professionals must account for and understand the different experiences that the children and their families have experienced across different educational systems and the different educational ecologies associated with migration. Ecological theory helps identify potential tensions at different levels between and within different ecologies, but also suggests ways in which these may be bridged by information gathering, trust and relationship building within and across ecologies.