Background: The research reported in this article was commissioned by a consortium of inner-city schools located in central England. It was commissioned in response to the consortium's concerns regarding increasing referrals of negative pupil behaviour amongst its secondary school pupils in Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14), resulting in temporary and permanent exclusions. The consortium also sought to explore the factors contributing to a perceived increase in incidents of serious misbehaviour by pupils in Year 8 (ages 12-13). Purpose: The research was designed to create a better understanding of the factors affecting school exclusion from the perspective of pupils and behaviour coordinators within the consortium's schools. Sample: Study participants were 49 pupils in Year 9 (ages 13-14), comprising 23 girls and 26 boys, and eight behaviour coordinators from seven secondary schools and two centres for alternative provision (AP) in an inner-city area of the West Midlands. Design and methods: The research was designed using an ethnographic approach and involved individual semi-structured interviews and qualitative data analysis. Interviews were conducted over a 12-month period in each of the participating schools and centres for AP. Results: A series of related themes emerged from the data analysis. Amongst those factors identified as having the greatest bearing on negative pupil behaviour was the issue of transition. While many pupils imagine the transition to Key Stage 4 (ages 15-16) as a positive departure from their previous behavioural histories to a world of qualification opportunities, personal commitment, future employment and adulthood, this is not matched by the perceptions of many of the teaching staff. In particular, the move from primary school to secondary school was seen by many respondents as a traumatic period of transition and an underlying cause for negative behaviour. Respondents report that, when left unchecked, difficulties associated with primary-secondary school transition were often amplified throughout the first three years of secondary schooling. Conclusions: The implications from this small scale, qualitative investigation are that positive attention to transition experiences, amongst other factors, is likely to contribute to improved management of behaviour referrals and exclusions.