Inclusion and Psychological Intervention in Schools

In painstaking, sensitive and reflective ways, Quicke offers us some moving insights, detailed observations, challenging questions, which combine to pow- fully establish a picture of the complex, social and cultural contexts called schools, in which the struggle for inclusive thinking, values and relations are to be realized. This book consists of a number of case studies about interventions in schools to promote the inclusion of pupils referred to a local authority Educational Psychology Service (EPS) in the north of England. The aim is to provide accounts which do not shirk from describing ‘failures’ as well as ‘successes’ and which reflect the general ‘messiness’ of this kind of work. They are written as ‘stories’ from the point of view of an educational psychologist who regards himself as a critical reflective practitioner whose professional practice is grounded in a democratic, inclusive philosophy. The methodology of the book draws on the qualitative research tradition in social science and education, in particular ethnography and action research, and makes a unique contribution to the role of ‘storying’ in this kind of research. The author feels that his approach represents a challenge to conventional constraints on research in his own profession which prevent the development of a more open dialogue about the role and purpose of psychological interventions to promote inclusion. The worked examples of practical strategies in mainstream provide insights which should be of interest to all support professionals, teachers, educationalists and others concerned with inclusion of pupils described as having ‘special educational needs’. Within the field of inclusive education, a growing body of literature has contributed to a developing knowledge and understanding of conceptual, empirical, philosophical issues and ideas. However, there is still an urgent need for more detailed accounts of how the struggle for change takes place or ‘gets done’ in specific contexts involving particular people. This important book seeks to meet some of these needs by providing stories from the working life of an educational psychologist in England, and his interventions in schools in attempting to contribute to meeting the diverse needs of a range of pupils. In painstaking, sensitive and reflective ways, Quicke offers us some moving insights, detailed observations, challenging questions, which combine to pow- fully establish a picture of the complex, social and cultural contexts called schools, in which the struggle for inclusive thinking, values and relations are to be realized. The author describes himself as a ‘reflective practitioner’, whose work is not id- logically neutral, but informed by a deep commitment and belief in the well-being of all children. He calls his approach ‘autoethnographic’ in order to emphasize the se- reflective nature of the activity. Thus, the stories involve insights into the ambiguity, self-doubt, contradictions, dilemmas and real messiness of his position and expe- ences within his work context.