Transitioning to School during Covid-19: The Lived Experiences and Realities of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Kettle, Emma Jo (2026) Transitioning to School during Covid-19: The Lived Experiences and Realities of Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Abstract

Transitions to school are recognised within current early childhood as significant development milestones for all children. Yet often, they are framed within systemic and structural processes and expectations, shaped and dominated by school-readiness agendas, adult perspectives and post-Covid-19 recovery priorities. The voices and lived experiences of children with special educational needs and disabilities [SEND] remain significantly under-represented in current transition to school research, despite commitments of participation and inclusion. This study aimed to address this gap, and through an interpretivist paradigm, explored how five children aged seven and eight with diverse SEND profiles in schools within Birmingham Local Authority experienced and understood their transition to school during the Covid-19 pandemic. The perspectives of their parents/ caregivers and practitioners were also included as part of the study. Drawing on bioecological (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 1998; 2006), rights-based (Lundy, 2007), and relational perspectives, the study used a qualitative design which involved creative conversations with children with SEND, through drawing, play and photography to elicit meaningful dialogue (Clark and Moss, 2011). Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022).

Findings demonstrated children with SEND actively shaped and developed their own routine, play, learning and structure within their transition to school, and recognised their own strengths and dispositions. Yet they also faced challenges around social connections, emotional affects of a worldwide pandemic, and the risk of being misunderstood by the adults in supporting their transition to school. This study offers an original contribution to knowledge by foregrounding the perspectives of children with SEND within transition to school research. It claims that children with SEND are agentic participants and co-constructors in shaping their transition to school experiences during Covid-19. As such, it recommends a more relational, child-led approach and understanding of transition, recognising the strengths, dispositions and experiences of children with SEND. The study proposes implications for inclusive pedagogical practice in the transition to school, the co-construction of transition to school policy and practice, and the importance of including children with SEND in future decision-making matters that impact their lives.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 1 June 2026 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Transition to school, special educational needs and disabilities, Covid-19, lived experiences, voices of children, creative methods.
Subjects:	CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-04 - health and social care > CAH15-04-01 - social work CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-04 - health and social care > CAH15-04-02 - childhood and youth studies CAH15 - social sciences > CAH15-04 - health and social care > CAH15-04-03 - health studies CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Law and Social Sciences > Education
Depositing User:	Louise Muldowney
Date Deposited:	24 Jun 2026 11:31
Last Modified:	24 Jun 2026 11:31
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17084

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