The experience of moving from mainstream to special school: a case study of eight teacher’s transformative learning

This is a case study of eight teachers who have transferred from mainstream schools to special schools. It uses their reflections on the transition process gained through a series of interviews and tasks that illuminate their perceptions of their change process. These reflections are then analysed using a model that differentiates between the professional practice of the teacher, the school’s culture and Community of Practice and the wider educational system consisting of, for example, Teaching Standards, performance management and Ofsted inspections. It looks to answer some of the questions raised by the Salt Review (2010) about the quality of the supply of teachers into special schools. It addresses the issue of whether specialist skills are required for teaching in special schools and proposes a way to understand the key difference between the demands placed upon teachers in each if the two different sectors by looking in detail at the teachers’ understandings of their teaching practices. It finally proposes an induction model that can be individualised for the teacher which will support the transition process for them. It is located within a qualitative research approach and assumes the social construction of a shared cultural reality.