Physical restraint is a restrictive practice used in schools, but there are no up-to-date statistics concerning the frequency of its usage in England and there are concerns as to whether it is being used appropriately and effectively. Pupils with special educational needs are more likely to experience physical restraint in school, but…

Research into refugee students' settlement in host countries highlights school belonging as essential to their wellbeing and academic achievement. This research aimed to understand how secondary school refugee students experience school belonging in the North East of England. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to understand the…

This study explores primary school aged children's perspectives and experiences of their Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) support. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 12 Key Stage 2 participants, who had had a minimum of one month's ongoing ELSA support. Four core themes were…

In 2014 in England a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice (CoP) was introduced. Available data on the impact of the CoP in the area of SEND are inconclusive; however, it seems that the progress of pupils with SEND falls significantly behind the achievement of all pupils, and that nationally there is considerable…

A large percentage of young people who have been adopted will have experienced early childhood trauma and neglect that can impact on their social and emotional development, and engagement with learning. Although much research has been carried out concerning adoption, the views and perspectives of adopted young people are often missing. This…

Contingent self-esteem (CSE) describes the degree to which self-esteem is dependent on meeting day-to-day appraisals from oneself and others. This will vary between individuals, ranging from lower to higher CSE. A lower CSE is related to a range of adaptive social and emotional outcomes in adolescents and young adults. This study explores…

This study sought to establish pupil and teacher views about a six-hour, whole-class mindfulness programme called Paws.b. Pupil post-intervention focus groups and teacher semi-structured interviews were used to ascertain what was interesting and useful about Paws.b, and how it could be developed. Audio recordings were transcribed and thematically…

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, previously Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD), is the most frequently occurring category of Special Educational Need (SEN) in secondary schools in England, associated with school exclusion and poorer outcomes in later life. This study explores the perceptions of young people of…

The concept of "extended non-attendance" ("school phobia" or "school refusal") was distinguished from truancy early in the twentieth century, and refers to children who fear school and avoid attending. Despite much subsequent research, outcomes for those affected remain poor, and their voices remain largely absent…

Government and educational priorities place importance on young people of secondary school age being active, having their voices heard, and participating in their community. This paper explores an understanding of the role of agency in young people's lives and how the concept is developing. Young people who perceive themselves as having agency may…

Engagement and participation are important for successful outcomes in education, yet disaffection in the UK, according to some exclusion and absence statistics, shows a growing trend. The purpose of this research was to develop a starting point for a theory of children's engagement in education using grounded theory method. Evidence from…

Eliciting and advocating the voice of the child remains at the heart of international political agenda and also remains a central role for educational psychologists (EPs). Previous research indicates that EPs tend to use language-based methods for eliciting and advocating views of children. However, these approaches are often limited. Taking a…

An analysis was undertaken of 217 English school anti-bullying policies, from 169 primary schools and 48 secondary schools, using a 34-item scoring scheme. Findings were compared with an analysis of 142 schools six years earlier. Overall schools in the current analysis had about 49% of the items in their policies, a modest increase over the…

This research explored the views and experiences of key stakeholders regarding inclusion into secondary phase schooling for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASCs). Six Year 6 pupils met the criteria for admission to a mainstream secondary school with attached specialist provision for ASCs. Three pupils transferred to this school, whilst…

This retrospective study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore young lesbian and gay (LG) people's experiences of school in relation to their sexuality and their perceptions of how schools could be inclusive for young LG people. Participants were in the age range of 16 to 21 and provided insights into coping strategies,…