The lasting negative implications of school exclusions on vulnerable learner’s life chances are well documented. Despite the ample research which highlights the harmful trajectory exclusions can set learners on, school exclusion data in both Wales and England remains disproportionately higher for learners with additional learning needs. Therefore, this study aimed to further scrutinise school exclusions within the maintained specialist settings in Wales. Contact was made with the gatekeepers in the 40 maintained specialist settings in Wales to invite staff to complete a questionnaire and semi-structured interview. The aims of this study were to: • Explore staff perceptions of school exclusions and learn more about their professional perspectives with regards to behaviours that might warrant an exclusion. • Further explore staff perceptions of protective factors which were in place that would help mitigate the need to resort to exclusions. • Lastly, explore the challenges encountered by staff in their setting that may enhance the risk of requiring an exclusion to be used as a result of concerning behaviours. Over the course of this study, staff from eight different schools participated. Although a small study, respondents from different localities have participated and were not confined to one particular geographic locality in Wales. Consequently, it is suggested that this study recruited a representative sample of educational professionals who work in Welsh maintained special schools. Data was gathered through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. These were then coded to identify emergent themes. The data revealed that the most important identified protective factors were the fostering of positive relationships and staff specialist knowledge. The most prevalent challenges indicated by staff were complexity of learner need, issues arising from home and staffing. Based on the findings, recommendations have been made for future research which would help shed further light on the complexities surrounding school exclusion in maintained specialist settings.
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Jones, Neil
Rights Holders: Jones, Neil Supervisors: Reid, Jonathan
School of Education, Humanities and Languages
MA Education (SEND)
2023
© Jones, Neil Published by Oxford Brookes UniversityAll rights reserved