Excluded from School : Complex Discourse and Psychological Perspectives

Exclusion from school or college powerfully affects lives. In this book three practising psychologists working with young people in inner cities explore the experiences of people who have been involved with exclusion from school: the child, the family, the excluding school and the receiving unit. Each party tells their own story so although they relate the same events, each story is different. The astonishing complexity of the lives of those excluded is illuminated. The book is unique in bringing together different perspectives, including historical, psychodynamic and unstable systems theory. It concludes with reflections on the harm that exclusion can do and puts forward new approaches to managing difficult behaviour in secondary schools. The chapters deal with: Exclusion - a historical perspective Exclusion - a psychodynamic perspective Exclusion - a perspective from Chaos Theory Five case studies each told from the view of the family, the school, the unit and the child Conclusions - the damage done by school exclusion and recommendations for preventing it. Excluded from School is essential reading for professionals working with children and young people who are vulnerable and at risk of exclusion: social workers, educational psychologists, teachers in secondary schools and pupil referral units, learning mentors and local authority policy makers.

The authors all work for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council. Dr Christopher Arnold is a senior educational psychologist who has written widely in his field. Dr Jane Yeomans is a specialist senior educational psychologist and is also academic and professional Tutor in Educational Psychology at the University of Birmingham. Dr Sarah Simpson is a clinical psychologist who previously worked in a residential facility for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. Dr Mike Solomon is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the Tavistock Clinic in London, and the London Borough of Camden Secondary Behaviour Support Service.