School exclusion reduction in Scotland--and especially in the city of Glasgow--has received substantial media and policy attention in recent years. In London in particular, multiple governmental agencies have explicitly expressed a desire to replicate the exclusion reduction which recently occurred in Glasgow, often citing the connection between…

This paper uses Rittel and Webber's categorisation of "wicked problems" in order to interrupt discourses around school behaviour. Each of the 10 characteristics suggested by Rittel and Webber are examined using the English education system as a vehicle by which to consider and interrogate their complexity. This endeavour is crucial as…

In this article, I propose a new conceptual lens for understanding issues of racialised discipline and school exclusion that takes into consideration the foundational carceral logics of the settler colonial state. By bringing together carceral state, settler colonial and critical Indigenous studies literatures I demonstrate how the settler…

Despite the known impact of exposure to adversity on academic outcomes, the role of adversity, particularly expanded forms of adversity, is overlooked within school discipline. Disproportionate application of exclusionary discipline is known to feed disparate educational and criminal justice pathways, particularly for Black and Indigenous males.…

Well-established evidence of the ill-effects of exclusionary school discipline, its disproportionate use on students of colour, and association with the "school-to-prison pipeline" has, in the last decade, led to systemic reforms in the United States, which are successfully reducing exclusion and improving outcomes. Few studies, however,…

Aim: This systematic literature review aims to explore the effectiveness of school-wide interventions in reducing disciplinary exclusion from mainstream secondary schools. Rationale: In England, head teachers have government support to use exclusion as a disciplinary sanction if deemed necessary (Department for Education, 2017a). Research has…

The objective of this constructivist grounded theory study was to understand the experiences of students who have been disciplinarily excluded from school. Fifteen students (male, n = 11; Black, n = 10; having special education needs, n = 9) and 16 multidisciplinary staff in Ontario participated. Students experienced high rates of expanded…

The sample used for this study followed an entire cohort of over 40,000 students through their compulsory education in New Zealand. A previously developed econometric model explaining higher rates of school exclusions for Pacific learners (an ethnic group over-represented in lower SES, higher rates of SEN, and greater rates of school exclusion) is…

The deregulated and marketised education system is failing large numbers of the most vulnerable children in society, with system 'gaming' often the motivation behind school exclusions. This article sets out the multiple ways in which students can find themselves outside the formal school system, and identifies several of the systemic pressures…

The study presents data drawn from semi-structured interviews with five young people permanently excluded from schools in North East England. The research aimed to investigate the risk factors that lead to the children using illegal drugs, to determine the drivers and implications for drug misuse and the carrying of knives into school. The…

In England, there is a lack of qualitative data exploring the approaches used across age phases and types of schools seeking to provide alternatives to school exclusion. The study used thematic analysis and semi-structured 1:1 interviews with 46 headteachers to determine the strategies employed in their contexts. Three themes were identified:…

This Campbell systematic review examines the impact of interventions to reduce exclusion from school. School exclusion, also known as suspension in some countries, is a disciplinary sanction imposed by a responsible school authority, in reaction to students' misbehaviour. Exclusion entails the removal of pupils from regular teaching for a period…

Behaviour management is an influential educational cliché in Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and US. In practice, efforts to control student conduct in schools frequently utilise a manage-and-discipline model: a misinformed but deeply rooted set of interconnected notions about how to ensure an orderly and productive classroom. Students…

This paper reports the findings from a systematic review of research evidence on the use of managed moves as an alternative to exclusion in UK schools. The review begins by discussing the political landscape of school exclusion, the concept of managed moves and their use with children and young people (CYP) 'at risk' of permanent exclusion. During…

The impact of exclusionary discipline on students is clear and negative as we report herein. The impacts of exclusionary discipline have been negatively linked to the academic and social development of disciplined students. We argue that this discipline form has been disproportionately used among certain groups, particularly those students of…