How is the HOPE Study's research being carried out?
The HOPE Study will use diverse methodologies and involve young people, parents and practitioners. Our research methods will use the fact that SEN provision has not been evenly distributed across local authorities and the amount of provision has varied over time. This will make it possible to compare outcomes in children who received support with similar children who did not receive support for SEN. Different methods are being used to analyse how certain we can be that SEN provision causes a change in health outcomes. Four interlinked work packages within the HOPE Study will work on developing iteratively investigate and inform each other's findings throughout the programme.

HOPE Study's outputs
1. Publication: HOPE study research protocol: Evaluation of variation in special educational needs provision and its impact on health and education using administrative records for England: umbrella protocol for a mixed-methods research programme:
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/11/e072531 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-072531). November 2023.
2. Publication: Protocol: Primary school attainment outcomes in children with neurodisability: Protocol for a population-based cohort study using linked education and hospital data from England
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/4-28/v1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13588.1). May 2024.
3. Publication: Protocol: Educational outcomes of children with major congenital anomalies: Study protocol for a population-based cohort study using linked hospital and education data from England
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/4-68/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13750.1. November 2024.
4. Publication: Protocol: Planned and unplanned hospital admissions and health-related school absence rates in children with neurodisability: Protocol for a population-based study using linked education and hospital data from England
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/4-26/v1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13558.1). May 2024.
5. Publication: Protocol: Local authority variation in primary school-recorded special educational needs provision among children with major congenital anomalies: A research protocol
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/3-50/v1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13466.1). October 2023.
6. Abstract, Conference Proceedings School-recorded special educational needs in children with major congenital anomalies: a linked administrative records study of births in England:
https://ijpds.org/article/view/2340 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i2.2340). September 2023.
7. Publication: Protocol: Early special educational needs provision and its impact on unplanned hospital utilisation and school absences in children with isolated cleft lip and/or palate: a demonstration target trial emulation study protocol using ECHILD
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/3-54/v1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13472.1). October 2023.
8. Publication: Protocol: Impact of special educational needs provision on hospital utilisation, school attainment and absences for children in English primary schools stratified by gestational age at birth: A target trial emulation study protocol
https://openresearch.nihr.ac.uk/articles/3-59/v1 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.3310/nihropenres.13471.1). November 2023.
9. Publication: To what extent do England's local offer websites adhere to the statutory guidance as set out in the special educational needs and disabilities code of practice?
https://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/berj.3996 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/berj.3996). February 2024.
10. Guest Article: Do England’s Local Offer websites meet the expectations of the SEND Code of Practice?
11. Survey report: Priorities for research using the ECHILD (Education and Child Health Insights from Linked Data) database – A survey of views from children and families conducted in collaboration with Scope
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/child-health/sites/child_health/files/scope_survey_report_0.pdf. April 2023.
12. National Survey: Key findings flyers
December 2022.
13. Blog: Special educational needs policy requires research infrastructure
https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog/special-educational-needs-policy-requires-research-infrastructure. January 2025.
14. Publication: School-recorded special educational needs provision in children with major congenital anomalies: a linked administrative records study of births in England, 2003-2013
https://ijpds.org/article/view/2519/ (DOI: https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v10i1.2519. February 2025.