ALTERNATIVE PROVISION
Beyond exclusion: supporting children who struggle in school
Sal McKeown, journalist and editor, takes an in-depth look at what Alternative Provision can bring to children who are out of school or not in full-time attendance
five good GCSEs they need to succeed. It is the most disadvantaged children who are disproportionately punished by the system. We deserve better.”
Why are children excluded and what happens to them?
Exclusion does not necessarily mean being at home all the time. It can include:
· Attending part-time · Being in another setting for part of the school week
· Being in a separate part of the school from the rest of the class
· Being on a reduced timetable · Being offered a ‘managed move’ either to another setting
O
n GCSE results day in August 2018, a new map appeared on the London Underground Northern line. It was part of a protest by a group of students called ‘Education not Exclusion’. It showed what happens to children who are excluded from school.
The group also produced posters that said: “Every day, 35 students (a full classroom) are permanently excluded from school. Only one percent of them will go on to get the
· Being off-rolled, defined by Ofsted as ‘removing a child from the school roll when it is in the best interests of the school rather than the best interests of the pupil.’
I recently reviewed a book entitled ‘Excluded from School: Complex Discourse and Psychological Perspectives’. Written by practising psychologists for senior leaders, teachers, teaching assistants and pastoral staff, it looks at why and how we segregate some of our most vulnerable young people. The most common reason given was persistent disruptive behaviour.
26
www.education-today.co.uk
Especially good about this book are the five case studies where the authors interview many of those involved in the exclusion process. It shows not just the perspectives of the child and their family, but also teachers, senior leaders at the excluding school, family agencies, social services and the setting that accepted the child post- exclusion.
Lessons to be learned
In some areas of the UK, the exclusion rate for Black Caribbeans is five times higher than that of their white classmates. In 2022, the National Association for Special Educational Needs (Nasen) analysed government figures for suspensions and exclusions and reported that pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) had suspension rates of over 600 per 10,000 pupils, compared to 144 for pupils with no SEND. It seems that those most in need of an education and the chance to be part of a group are the ones we are most likely to cast out and leave to fend for themselves. Schools are too big for some children and they get lost in the system. One mother commented: “I know it’s difficult to manage a large school, it’s difficult to hone in on an individual … But that’s no good to the child, is it? The fact that they are in a large school, and people haven’t got time - it is not good enough.”
June 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
