What's so inclusive about an inclusion room? Staff perspectives on student participation, diversity and equality in an English secondary school

Abstract

This article by Gwen Gilmore, a lecturer in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy at Massey University, draws on a research project which explored the nature, extent and characteristics of a disciplinary inclusion room (IR) in a secondary school in the south‐west of England using a Cultural Historical Activity Theory framework. In five years to 2010 this school reduced fixed‐term exclusion from a 10% rate to less than 0.01%. At the same time school attainment improved, with the percentage of students attaining grades A*–C in GCSEs increasing from 43% to 73%. The school under study was located within an Excellence in Cities and Behaviour Improvement Partnership initiative. The mixed methods used to inform this article include analysis of school documents, staff on‐line questionnaire and nine in‐depth interviews. Staff views of the IR indicated a dynamic, interactive model and the potential for increased discourse around inclusion informed by joint problem solving in context. This research suggests that a disciplinary IR and associated systems can complement educational goals. The findings prompt a reconsideration of the role of discipline provision and give strength to inclusive, educationally based practice. This article, the literature and research are also informed by a matched Year 8 and 9 student questionnaire and interviews with nine students who attended the IR.