Stakeholder engagement and SEND policy - an international perspective — Dr. Catherine Antalek
Scope SEND is a three‑year Nuffield‑funded project comparing international SEND policy. Findings from the first two years helped to inform the SEND reform consultation and have been shared with Whole Education system leaders throughout the research timeline. This session will focus on the next phase of research and emerging findings - stakeholder perceptions of SEND policy internationally and the barriers or strengths they describe when engaging with policy. This will include comparisons between stakeholders in areas of the UK compared to those across the different jurisdictions included in the research. There will also be a brief opportunity to recap the evidence and early insights that were shared with the education select committee prior to the White Paper release.
About the speaker
Catherine is a Research Fellow at UCL’s Institute of Education. Her research focuses on policy and provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), with particular interest in how support needs are identified, how provision is organised, and how policy decisions shape everyday practice in schools. Catherine’s research is informed by a background in reading, literacy difficulties, dyslexia, and inclusive education. Before her doctorate, she taught English as a second language to primary aged children in Madrid through a programme funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education.
She has worked with the Department for Education in England on a number of evidence reviews examining best practice for identifying and supporting children and young people with SEND. This work has included synthesising evidence on approaches to assessment, classroom support, targeted intervention, and system level provision across different areas of need. Her current work is an international evaluation of SEND policy and provision across 17 countries. This project examines how different education systems define SEND, allocate support, involve families and professionals in decision making, and manage the relationship between national policy and local implementation.
