Research: Whole-school special educational needs review

Research summary

• July 2019 to February 2025

This evaluation is investigating the effectiveness of the Whole School SEND Review process on raising attainment in English at GCSE. It will also measure the effect of the process on pupil wellbeing, attendance and exclusions. It is funded by the Education Endowment Foundation, and includes an implementation and process evaluation, and a two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial with random allocation at the school level.

The Whole School SEND Review (WSS Review) is a framework that enables school leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of current Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision through a structured self-evaluation and peer review. The WSS Review outlines eight areas for review: 

• Outcomes for pupils with SEND 

• Leadership of SEND 

• The quality of teaching and learning for pupils with SEND 

• Working with pupils and parents/carers of pupils with SEND 

• Assessment and identification 

• Monitoring, tracking and evaluation 

• The efficient use of resources  

• The quality of SEND provision

The WSS Review process supports school leaders in identifying strengths and weaknesses in existing provision to devise a bespoke action plan, with clear targets identified to drive improvement. 

Participating schools will engage in a peer review audit process, supported by two Project Directors from Whole School SEND who are experienced practitioners with relevant knowledge and expertise. Each school will be paired with another school undertaking a WSS Review for this process and will undertake a visit to the partner school. 

The evaluation aims to make a contribution to the evidence base about specific SEND interventions in secondary schools. This is not an assessment of individual pupils or schools but is about understanding how effective the programme is overall. Building on the EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit, the results of this research will make an important contribution to understanding how and why the WSS Review process affects academic and behavioural outcomes across a school. Preliminary research suggests that the WSS Review can improve attainment scores and accelerate progress for learners with SEND. 

Data collection includes:

• baseline attainment and attendance data
• a SENDCo baseline survey
• an assessment of student well-being at baseline and after the intervention (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire)
• observations of training and support provided by the Whole School SEND team
• interviews with and surveys of school staff and key stakeholders
• GCSE data

Over 160 schools have been recruited and up to 60,000 students will be involved in the study. This includes all students aged 12-13 years (Year 8) and 13-14 years (Year 9) in September 2020. Schools will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control arm of the study in summer 2021. The intervention will take place from March 2021 until June 2022. GCSE results will be collected in autumn 2023 from the cohort in Year 9 in September 2020 and the first report will be published in spring 2024. GCSE results will be collected in autumn 2024 from the cohort in Year 8 in September 2020 and the second report will be published in spring 2025.