Classroom Expulsions: Patterns, Practices, and Pupil Perceptions

• In Event: Not Trustworthy: Making Sense of Parents and Teachers' Perceptions of Racialized Discipline Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the under-researched phenomenon of classroom expulsions and their implications for school expulsions. Responses from nearly 1500 high school pupils indicate that being expelled from the classroom is a common phenomenon. However, it is more common in some schools, and for some pupils, than others. Most often, expelled pupils stand in school corridors with nothing to do. This not only leads to a loss of learning time, it may mark the beginning of a trajectory towards school expulsion, especially when the teacher’s action is seen as ‘unfair’. Using Bernstein’s theories, we argue that questions of the legitimacy of a classroom expulsion may shift a pupil’s relationship with their school from one of engagement to disaffection and alienation.

Authors

• Sally Anne Power, Cardiff University
  Presenting Author

• Chris Taylor, Cardiff University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jemma Bridgeman, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
  Non-Presenting Author