Abstract

The experiences of pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN) and their parents at pre and post-transition from primary to post-primary school have received little literature attention. This current paper outlines the outcomes of the post transition experiences of pupils with SEN and their parents and provides a follow up to their pre –transition experiences from a comprehensive research project conducted in the Republic of Ireland. Twenty six pupils with Special Education Needs (SEN) and twenty seven parents of pupils participated in focus groups after their transition to post primary school. Emergent themes for pupils included: settling in; asking questions, provoking questions; and it’s not as bad as you think it’s going to be. Emergent themes for parents included: social support is key to settling in; communication problems; and prevention is better than cure. Critical issues emerging from the data are discussed .