Tracey Warren

About me:

I have been in the field of education for over 30 years. Having graduated from Plymouth St Mark and St John with a B.Ed (Hons) majoring in Primary Education, English and Art I then worked in Khartoum, Sudan, as a teacher in a private school for one year. When I returned to the UK I then spent nine years in London and the Home Counties teaching in Primary Schools. I had a number of coordinator positions including science, technology, art and design, and then as a Deputy Head and SENCO in 1994. Special Needs then became a core theme across all the posts I was appointed to.

In 1997 I moved to Calderdale as Headteacher at a small rural junior school. This meant juggling classroom teaching as well and leadership and management. It was at this stage in my career that I became interested in assessment and engaging pupils, teachers and parents in the process. Following this first post, as a Headteacher, I moved to Lancashire initially as Headteacher at a primary school and then as Senior Manager for Lancashire overseeing the Primary Pupil Referral Units until 2010.

In August 2010 I moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE, as a Leadership Advisor for Nord Anglia on a short term contract. At the end of the contract with Nord Anglia, I spent some time deciding on my next position. During this time I became a manager of a dive centre, as my other passion is diving.

In April 2012 I was then offered the position of Director of Education setting up a new provision (an early intervention program) for children with additional needs, at a private centre in Dubai. It is a dynamic position as it involves engaging with UAE / Dubai ministries to develop further services to meet the needs of our clients. We worked closely with parents and families to support our children and hopefully enable them to access mainstream schools. During my seventh year of this post, I decided to return to the UK to focus on my studies and complete the research (2019).

Having always been passionate about inclusion and working with parents, this has become the focus for the EdD.

My Linkedin profile has further detail on my experiences, qualifications and skills.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-warren-355a9b42/

Research Unit:
Special Needs and Inclusive Education
Research Project:

Title of thesis: Parents’ perspectives on the policy and practice of inclusive education in Dubai private schools

Abstract: The signing and ratification of UNCRPD by the UAE government in 2008 and the passing of Dubai Law no.2 in 2014 paved the way for inclusion within this rapidly evolving city. With the publication of inclusive policies and guidelines by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (2017, 2019a, 2019b, 2021), the education authority with responsibility for regulation of private schools in Dubai, set the scene for change within the private school sector.
This study considered how the education for all (EFA) agenda provided the justification behind Dubai’s eagerness to become an inclusive society global leader. The focus was on how the Dubai regulator established inclusive policy and practice within the Dubai private school sector from the perspective of parents of children identified with special educational needs. Using adaptive theory approach to address the research questions at three levels: Dubai policy framework to support inclusive practices, how schools implemented inclusive practices and what educational opportunities students identified with SEN accessed (through the eyes of their parents). Mixed methods were used for data collection including a documentary analysis of four key papers that influenced the Dubai inclusive education strategy, a parent online survey, in-depth semi-structured interviews with a senior member of the private sector regulatory body and parents.

 
The findings of the 73 online survey responses and 23 parent interviews provided a unique view on their understanding of inclusion, their ideas of what inclusion should look like for their child’s educational provision and their expectations for their child’s future. Parents had varied understanding of what the Dubai government aspired to but also questioned if the government knew what was actually happening in schools and how these schools were interpreting the legal framework. Three revealing findings were: firstly, how these parents identified the high cost of education for their child, two the emotional impact of having a child identified with special educational needs had on them and their family. The third finding of note were that these parents wanted nothing different to any other parent: for their child to access learning and be considered an equal with their peers.

This study provided a significant contribution to knowledge as it established an invaluable perspective of parents during a period of reform as Dubai private schools implement the government inclusive educational policy. This unique lens on inclusive education provides the KHDA, schools and operators with the opportunity to review, evaluate, and improve provision for students identified with SEN during this time of change. It would also be an opportunity for schools to gain parent trust, so they feel confident to voice their experiences during these early stages of policy implementation, engaging them as valued stakeholders in their child’s learning.
Keywords: inclusion, inclusive education, Dubai private schools, parents

Thesis published at ORE:

http://hdl.handle.net/10871/127133

Research Supervisory team:

Christopher Boyle

Brahm Norwich

Research Wider Research Interests:

• Inclusion, diverity and equity in the UK and in an international context
• Parents role in inclusion
• The impact of a diagnosis on parents' choices and inclusion into mainstream school

Education:

January 2014 January 2015

Open University

January 1998 January 2001

Huddersfield University

January 1990 January 1992

Institute of Education, London

January 1983 January 1987

College of St Mark & St John, Plymouth

B.Ed (Hons). Primary Studies. English & Art