ABSTRACT Permanent exclusion is one of the most serious punitive disciplinary measures enforced in response to a pupil’s behaviour. The rate of school suspensions and permanent exclusions remains a growing concern in England. A case study design, utilising semi-structured interviews with local authority (LA) staff, school staff and pupils in two LAs, explored how LA and secondary school systems operate to support pupils who have experienced or are at risk of permanent exclusion. Findings demonstrated key areas of support for successful reintegration, including pupil–staff relationships, personalised support, staff approach and understanding of need. Cross-case analysis revealed differences in systemic approaches across the cases and highlighted current challenges within the UK context. The paper concludes by considering the findings in line with current research and implications for future practice.

ABSTRACT Mainstream school behaviour policies in England and beyond increasingly reflect zero-tolerance models, prioritising order, control, and compliance. While such policies may support short-term consistency, they can disproportionately disadvantage children who have experienced trauma, particularly those who are care-experienced, have a social worker, or are adopted. This article critically examines the effects of punitive behaviour management strategies on these groups, drawing on interdisciplinary research and UK-based policy guidance, including the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) Improving Behaviour in Schools (2019) report. It argues that trauma-experienced children are not only more likely to be subject to exclusionary practices but are also less likely to benefit from generic strategies unless these are adapted through a trauma-informed lens. The article concludes with a call for systemic reform, recommending trauma-informed behaviour policies that centre relational safety, attachment awareness, and a recognition of adversity-informed needs.

ABSTRACT This study examined the practical use of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) as a brief and economical tool for the initial identification of internalising and externalising behavioural difficulties. The SDQ was not evaluated psychometrically; rather, it served as a data-based decision aid to guide the selection of school-based intervention strategies. Twenty experimental single-case studies (children aged 7–15 years, M = 10) were conducted. Based on SDQ results, 12 children received behaviourally oriented interventions for externalising problems, and 8 received cognitively based interventions for internalising symptoms. Daily Direct Behaviour Ratings (DBR) were collected across 30 school days. Multilevel modelling revealed significant behavioural improvement from baseline to the first (B = 10.956; p < .001; Cohen’s d = 1.31, 95% CI [1.09, 1.53]) as well as second intervention phases (B = 13.515; p < .01; Cohen’s d = 1.93, 95% CI [1.69, 2.16]). Nineteen of 20 cases showed moderate to strong effects. Children with internalising problems appeared to derive greater benefit. The results support a structured model integrating SDQ, theory-based planning, and DBR for data-based decision-making in everyday school practice.

ABSTRACT Poor behaviour in UK secondary schools is considered a significant problem. While the Department for Education recommends disciplinary behaviour management strategies (DBMS), their impact on pupil mental health and wellbeing, as well as their effectiveness in addressing poor behaviour, remains unclear. Young people aged 13–18 years were recruited to a study using peer-led semi-structured interviews, analysed using the Framework Method. Fifteen interviews were conducted and analysis showed that participants found DBMS to be confusing, unfair, harsh and inconsistent. They were seen as ineffective for addressing poor behaviour and as negatively affecting pupil mental health and wellbeing, and academic and social outcomes. Participants viewed DBMS, especially the use of isolation, as ineffective and potentially harmful. They suggested that school leaders should review their behaviour management policies and consider the adoption of approaches that build relationships and seek to understand the reasons for poor behaviour.

ABSTRACT High schools are a prime environment for engaging with adolescents, however only a small fraction of adolescents grappling with a mental health issue pursue help from adults. While obstacles to help–seeking are well–documented, there is a lack of research, especially qualitative studies, identifying the factors that facilitate adolescents’ help seeking at school. To address this gap, individual interviews were conducted with 32 French–speaking adolescents in Quebec (Canada) to examine factors influencing their positive attitudes about seeking help for a mental health problem from an adult at school and explore how these factors varied by type of resource (informal, formal) and mental health issues (internalized, externalized). Using reflexive thematic analysis, three factors were identified: Experiencing a quality relationship, Being listened to and understood, and Believing that help is available. Findings have implications for implementing gatekeeper training in schools and educating adolescents about the benefits of school mental health services

ABSTRACT This article explores a restorative philosophy in action through the voices of young people with social, emotional, and mental health needs in a special school in South East England. Drawing on walking-tour interviews, ethnographic field notes, and reflexive conversations, the study reveals how these young people conceptualise this philosophy as a rights-based approach to safety, mediated by adults attuned to justice- and rejection-sensitivity. Rather than viewing it as a scripted resolution process, they describe restorative work as embedded in everyday care, with flexibility as a key expectation. Their communities echo these views, reporting secondary harm from proximity to disability – suggesting that, when shaped by systemic harm, disability can be experienced collectively. This creates additional obligations for restorative philosophies that extend beyond the individual. Furthermore, the study highlights how experiences are shaped by bounded contexts, diagnostic mechanisms, and the tendency to frame social, emotional, and mental health needs as invisible disabilities.

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of school-aged children with corona-related future anxiety emerging as a prominent challenge. With this knowledge, it is crucial to identify protective factors that support children in their needs. It is to be assumed, although it is not yet empirically confirmed, that relationships with significant others in school can provide a buffer to the negative association between corona-related anxiety and well-being. Therefore, this cross-sectional study investigates the associations between corona-related future anxiety and well-being, taking into account social integration and the student-teacher relationship as potential mediators in a sample of 3,041 school-aged children (M = 10.25 years; SD = 1.87) from primary and special schools in Germany. Using structural equation modelling with cluster-robust standard errors, the study examines whether these associations are mediated by the quality of student-teacher relationships and students’ perceived social integration within their class. Results confirm that corona-related future anxiety is negatively associated with well-being. However, only social integration within the class was found to partially mitigate this relationship. These findings highlight the importance of fostering supportive group dynamics in school settings to enhance student resilience.

ABSTRACT This systematic review investigates firsthand experiences of students diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in segregated school situations. Articles published from 2000 to 2023 were identified in ten electronic databases. Research in the field is scarce, with five articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A thematic synthesis identified three analytical themes: 1) predominant negative experiences of previous schooling and the path to a segregated school situation; 2) predominant negative experiences of segregated schooling and a desire for a better school situation; and 3) predominant negative experiences and consequences of medicalisation. The experiences of previous schooling included violence and a perceived lack of classroom structure. There were some positive experiences in the present segregated situation, such as a class environment with fewer students and more friendly, sympathetic teachers. Some segregated students sought improved relationships with classmates and a more structured classroom environment. The data implied a tendency towards permanent placements, given the minimal references to regular schooling. The experiences and consequences of medicalisation indicated that the students appeared to internalise symptoms linked to the diagnoses and saw medication as the school’s main measure to control their behaviour. Finally, some students attributed their behaviour to ADHD and saw it as the main reason for their segregation.

ABSTRACT The research employs the Research and Development in Organisations (RADIO) model to explore how motivational interviewing (MI) can be embedded into the practice of emotional literacy support assistants (ELSAs). The aims of this cycle of action research focused on identifying the facilitators and barriers of applying MI within the ELSA role. A SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats] analysis was used to identify key facilitators as positive training experiences, opportunities to practise, ELSA approach and knowledge and understanding. Barriers pertained to understanding pupil suitability and difficulties remembering MI training. The data collected were used to inform organisational change in relation to MI development. Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature. Further directions for research and implications for professional practice are considered.

ABSTRACT Challenging behaviour (CB) is a central concern in UK special-education policy, placing substantial emotional demands on teaching assistants (TAs). This qualitative study explored TAs’ experiences when responding to CB, their engagement with workplace support, and how they perceived these experiences to shape the wider classroom environment. Two focus group discussions were conducted with a total of seven TAs from a special needs school (one group of three and one of four participants) and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results identified three themes: (1) Working without a safety net, in which limited guidance and feedback from senior leaders left TAs feeling uncertain about their response to CB incidents; (2) Living behind the mask, where suppression of authentic emotions when responding to incidents can result in emotional numbness that extended beyond the workplace; and (3) Making sense of behaviour together, TAs’ call for structured student debriefs to offer reassurance after witnessing behavioural incidents. The study illuminates the emotional labour borne by this large yet under-researched workforce and emphasises the need for prompt supervisory feedback and structured debrief practices.