Listening to young children with disabilities: Experiences of quality in mainstream primary education

Abstract

All children should have access to quality education through a child‐centred pedagogy. An inclusive, child‐centred pedagogy uses a strength‐based view of children that recognises each child as unique and competent, providing children with multiple opportunities to explore and learn at their own pace. However, competing tensions in mainstream primary education in England can impact this through a performative school culture that focusses on progress and attainment rather than the successful inclusion of all children including those with disabilities. This adult‐centric view of education quality does not consider children's experiences of what happens in mainstream primary education, through their perspectives. The research described here uses methodology that actively listens to young children with developmental disabilities themselves to understand what is important and valuable to them. Four case studies present children's experience of education in different English primary schools, using a range of photography activities, guided tours and interviews. Methods illicit rich detail and novel understandings of experiences from the views of young children with developmental disabilities, whose voices have tended to be excluded from research. The study demonstrates ways in which young children can develop self‐advocacy through opportunities to share their voice and understanding of education. Findings reveal the significance of children's involvement in the different spaces and objects associated with experiencing mainstream education, and the different types of pedagogy found in education that may or may not offer opportunities for self‐advocacy for children with developmental disabilities.