'Why is this child in special education?': a cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)-based intervention with senior UK education leaders on assessment for, and allocation of, specialist educational resources

Aims: This paper focuses upon systemic change in a local authority decision-making process (DMP) for allocating specialist resources for children with complex educational needs in a local authority in Scotland. The aim of the paper is to provide reflections and insights into the learning of senior managers and leaders of children's services to lead organisational change processes. Method: The original research study design was a two-stage, CHAT-based Developmental-Work-Research (DWR) formative intervention with nine senior managers over an 18-month period. Stage one, reported in this paper, comprised four, three-hour sessions enabling expansion of participants' learning through a collective zone of proximal development (ZPD). Stage two was evaluation of the intervention as a change process framework and evaluation of implementation of the new model considered as a cycle of expansive learning (discussed elsewhere). Findings: Expansive learning and transformative agency in DWR sessions occurred via four key turning points. An initial focus on problems with, and then improvement of, the DMP shifted to a re-configuration of children's services leading to the generation of a new model for meeting the children’s needs in mainstream school settings. Findings indicate that a CHAT-based intervention can support the development of new ways of learning, leadership and working to enable public services to make more effective use of resources. Limitations: Several groups such as social workers, allied health professionals, parents and young people were not represented directly in this study. Further research using DWR with these groups would contribute to a broader understanding of how systems within children’s services impact on service users. Conclusion: CHAT has theoretical and practical relevance for professionals who engage in collaborative real-world research. Findings from the study contribute to the body of knowledge for leadership learning and intervention around change processes in educational systems.