Education and Social Exclusion

This chapter offers an overview of educational research related to issues of social exclusion. Educational research in this fi eld critiques, responds to and informs the developing policy context, and this theme is present throughout the chapter. We begin by exploring the varied, changing and at times contested meanings of some key terms, through the development of a range of understandings of "social exclusion" and "inclusion" in education. The chapter focuses on disciplinary exclusion from school, and goes on to consider hidden forms of exclusion from school and the consequences for social exclusion beyond schooling. This leads to a discussion of issues affecting young people who are not attending school, and those who are missing from any form of educational provision. Social exclusion can also be understood as a process that has its origins within schools and the educational system. We discuss issues of streaming and the segregation of students who are seen as presenting challenges through their behaviour, within so-called "Learning Support Units". Pressures on schools to internally differentiate pupils by ability are widely thought to impact on equality issues. These are explored in relation to key groups of pupils: those from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities, children who are "looked after" by local authorities, children experiencing mental distress and those identifi ed as having special educational needs within mainstream schools. The chapter concludes by highlighting the tensions between the standards and inclusion agendas in New Labour policy and questioning how far further reforms are likely to impact on structural inequalities. © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.