Engaging critically with pupil voice

Abstract

There is growing recognition that children and young people have valuable contributions to make within their schools and communities. This special issue, which focuses specifically on the notion of ‘pupil voice’, brings together a collection of articles and reports presented and developed as part of the 2004–06 ESRC seminar series ‘Engaging critically with pupil voice’ (RES-451–26–0165). The seminar series brought together representatives reflecting a range of practices and research that can be identified as ‘pupil voice’, with the aim of identifying ‘pupil voice’ activities, delineating key advances, gaps and debates in theory, methodology and ethics. The series helped advance records and forums through which ‘pupil voice’ work is documented and can be further developed. This journal considers cross-disciplinary research and practice which explores the complexities of ‘voice’ in varying contexts and how ‘voice’ can be used in school improvement initiatives.