Children at the Margins : Supporting Children, Supporting Schools

The drive to improve educational standards has occurred just when anxieties are soaring about the consequences of exclusion. At the same time, international guidance and UK legislation carry exhortations to consider both the rights of children and also their views. Professionals working with children need to be able to adjust to the conditions imposed by the frequent policy and legislative changes by developing appropriate new approaches and practices. This is a book for teachers, educational psychologists, workers with looked after children and policy makers. It considers the competing dilemmas: how do we improve achievements in schools, reduce social inclusion and also listen to 'the voice of the child'? It highlights the social processes in which the fundamental discourses and values of our society are played out in the lives of children - at what age, for example, can they make decisions or even participate in decisions made about their own lives. By examining the social processes within their own professional domains the authors look to achieve more progressive and ethical approaches to working with children. They challenge theories and practices that serve to marginalize the children with whom they work and provide models of intervention and practice that readers can use in their own professional practice. We learn what children have to say about the curriculum and about school improvement. Chapters examine classroom practice, children in public care, multi-agency working, ADHD and psychostimulants, able underachievers, whether educational psychologists help or hinder, the effectiveness of nurture groups. The contributors are: Daniela Mercieca, Sharon Teasdale, Richard Gamman, Jackie Lown, Stephanie James, Lynn Mackey and Tiny Arora, Lynn Turner, Keith Venables and Katie Clarke, and Brian Willis.

Michael Pomerantz is a Senior Educational Psychologist in Derbyshire and teaches on the University of Sheffield programme.