Flexischooling children with special educational needs: insights from a survey of parents and carers

Research on flexischooling arrangements and outcomes for children with special educational needs (SEN) remains limited. This exploratory survey-based study addresses this gap by examining the experiences and perspectives of parents and carers in England, Scotland and Wales who flexischool children with SEN. The children in question (n = 31) were aged 5-17 years old, with the sizeable majority (94%) having suspected or diagnosed neurodevelopmental conditions. Participants' requests for flexischooling predominantly related to children feeling overwhelmed, stressed, anxious and unable to cope in the full-time school environment. A typical flexischooling arrangement involved three school days and two home education days per week. Most participants reported that needs were being met through flexischooling, with the reduction of school-based days and workloads - together with personalised approaches and parental support - indicated as important to improvements in pupil well-being and coping abilities. Negative outcomes were reported primarily for children who had 2.5 days or more out of school each week and who were receiving little or no school support.