‘The world is out to get me, bruv’: life after school ‘exclusion’ (original) (raw)
Related papers
Not in the classroom, but still on the register: hidden forms of school exclusion
International Journal of Inclusive Education, 2018
Not in the classroom, but still on the register: Hidden forms of school exclusion There has been growing concern about the rising numbers of students being excluded from school in Englanda trend that is often set against the declining levels of exclusion elsewhere. In Wales and Scotland, for example, numbers of students permanently excluded from school have fallen dramatically. However, we argue that simple system-level comparisons might be misleading. Drawing on data derived from interviews with headteachers in Wales, this paper probes beneath the surface of official statistics and explores the diverse, and often hidden, forms of exclusion that are taking place. Without wishing to deny the damaging consequences of official exclusion from school, it argues that the other forms of exclusion may also carry negative consequences. It concludes that until the effects of these other forms of exclusion are knownat individual, institutional and system levelwe should not assume that a school or a syste is e essarily a y ore or less i lusive o the asis of offi ial data o s hool exclusions.
School Exclusion: The Will to Punish
British Journal of Educational Studies, 2005
This paper examines perspectives on student disaffection in education at the levels of culture and policy. It considers the balance between punitive/exclusionary and therapeutic/restorative positions. The paper engages with concepts of retributive punishment (Murray, 2004a; 2004b), social welfare ideologies (Esping-Andersen, 1990) and discourses of social exclusion (Levitas, 1998). The conclusion is that policy choices are made about how disaffected, at risk young people are to be provided for, and these policy choices are not contained simply within an education policy and practice setting. The policy responses emerge from national and local government decision-making. They correlate with national indicators of punitiveness in the criminal justice system and the scale of inequalities tolerated. Policies resonate with deepseated cultural positions which are linked to the willingness to pay-for prevention or for punishment-and with the propensity to allocate blame either to individuals and families or to societal failures. Opportunities for intervention at points in the reinforcing cycle of punitiveness are indicated.
School exclusion disparities in the UK: a view from Northern Ireland
Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties
Across the four UK jurisdictions, there are distinct disparities in exclusion rates of school students. Northern Ireland, alongside Scotland and Wales, has demonstrated over time, lower rates of permanent exclusions and temporary exclusions compared with England. This paper examines these disparities from the perspectives of representatives from various systemlevel educational bodies and third sector organisations representing children and families who experienced the exclusion process. The paper will also present policy and legal frameworks associated with exclusion in Northern Ireland. We interviewed 9 stakeholders, associated with practices of school exclusion in Northern Ireland, from a range of system-level education bodies and advocacy groups. Findings include positive strategies perceived to keep exclusion levels low, types of obstacles or resistance to anti-exclusion policy, participants' perspectives on unofficial exclusion practice, and perspectives on official exclusion data. What emerges from interviews is a series of tensions between implementing a child-centred approach and diminishing support services and resources. We conclude that those working within the Northern Ireland education system, are committed to an inclusive approach. However, the development and implementation of effective supporting frameworks take time and consultation, and there is evidence of tension between the perceptions of those working at a system-level and those working in schools.
This report examines how parents, local authority exclusion officers and head teachers are experiencing and negotiating the permanent exclusion process in the face of recent changes to the exclusions guidance and regulatory frameworks. Exclusion review panels have replaced appeals panels and are now unable to direct the reinstatement of students, while widespread academisation has removed many schools from local structures of accountability. This report shows how these changes are affecting parents, the education of their children and their right to access redress and justice. It examines the role and capacity of governing bodies and local authorities, poor practices used by some schools throughout the process, the difficulty of accessing support for SEN students, parents’ experience of the independent review panel, and the lack of justice and redress parents receive through these new panels – even when a decision is quashed. Most pivotally, the research shows how ethnic minority and working-class parents continue to be disproportionately disadvantaged through this punitive educational format, and many strongly feel racism and class discrimination continue to underpin perceptions of themselves and their children. Through examining how these alterations are playing out through the everyday practices of schools, local authorities and parents, the research shows how a breakdown in democratic processes and networks of checks and balances is eroding families’ right to redress. Crucially, it shows how the well being of children and their parents is not the central concern of an exclusionary education system.
Pupils or prisoners? Institutional geographies and internal exclusion in UK secondary schools
Area, 2010
A growing interest in the geographies of schooling has led to an exploration of a variety of school spaces. An increasing number of secondary schools offer internal fixed-term exclusions so that temporary removal from school is not seen as ‘time off’ for students. This particular strategy has led to the creation of a new type of space in schools. Drawing upon research undertaken in a London secondary school, this paper explores the geography of these new secluded spaces. We highlight that the configuration of physical space in Seclusion Units and the regulation of spatial practices create highly controlled and segregated spaces of punishment. We explore the powerful transformative effects of these spaces to change students' behaviour, social interaction and attitudes to learning. However, rather than simply creating docile subjects, we recognise that domination is never complete and we explore the extent and the limit of student resistance to the discipline and control of the Seclusion Unit.