Parents’ experiences of choosing a special school for their children

This paper is about English parents’ experiences of making decisions special school placements in the national context rising and more parental choice diversity. The aim this research was to investigate whether current legislative focus on optimising parent operates as intended from perspective. More specifically, it aimed examine views parents pupils schools South West England: their reasons for choosing school, extent which they felt had an independent alternative provision. Fifty seven with children three local authority completed online questionnaire that collected numerical textual data. Analysis showed top factors influencing were atmosphere, caring approach class size, a finding connected concepts inclusive education. These other findings point limitations choice-diversity model implemented over last few decades England. illustrates distinctive perspectives schooling, education dilemmas experience provision children.