“More a dance than a painting”: a comparative analysis of stakeholder experiences of SEND policy in England and Ireland

This study, part of the international ScopeSEND study, addresses the limited comparative research on how divergent SEND policies in England and Ireland are experienced by stakeholders. Using key policy indicators from the ScopeSEND framework and framed by Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Model and the Input-Process-Output framework, thematic analysis of 14 semi-structured interviews with practitioners, caregivers and children with SEND revealed that both systems are perceived as high-demand and difficult to navigate, limiting equitable support. Outcomes in both countries were found to often depend on the capacity of individual staff and schools to enact policy effectively. The comparative analysis yielded two specific key learnings for policy reform. First, lessons from Ireland suggest that mainstream placement alone does not guarantee inclusion, emphasising that policy initiatives risk failure when in-school processes and supports fall short. Second, while centralised, needs-based funding models, like Ireland’s Special Education Teaching Allocation, may successfully reduce bureaucracy and improve responsiveness compared to England’s Education Health Care plan process, the study also highlights that process-level challenges in Ireland underscore that flexibility must be coupled with skilled, well-supported staff. Overall, the study suggests that England should consider adopting centrally allocated, needs-based funding while strengthening the human infrastructure of inclusion across the SEND continuum.