The Government launched its Social Exclusion Unit earlier this week, committing itself to finding new ways to cut the number of school exclusions. Young journalists at Children's Express spoke to teenagers who have themselves been excluded and asked them what the alternative is like.
| Because of league tables, teachers won’t allow children to damage their reputation. |
People think the kids who come here are a waste of time, that theyre never going to come to anything. When I first came here I thought it was full of idiots, but its alright.
Jonathan, 15, was kicked out of mainstream school after he got a bit violent with a few teachers. He attends Project 16 which is designed to help pupils bridge school and work or further education. The project is part of Islington Councils pupil referral system and is based in Kingsway College, at the bottom of Pentonville Road.
It is run in a small concrete building resembling a toilet block, which is set in the car park of the main college. The classrooms could belong to any school with walls covered in art work and teaching aids and the tables clustered in small groups. Despite the similarities, it feels like a youth club where kids work rather than play. It is not a place full of angry no good youngsters.
Its a mixture of those who have dropped out, those whove got problems in their school, people being bullied just normal, explains Chaney, 16, who dropped out of school to attend the complementary Education Centre, which helps pupils who dont learn so well within a school environment.
Islington has one of the worst rates of exclusion in the country more than twice the national average. In just five years the number of pupils permanently excluded from secondary school has doubled.
Cathy, 14, left an Islington school after she threw a chair at a teacher. She claims she was provoked, that the teacher was being insensitive about a relatives death. I was crying my eyes out in class and the teacher was shouting at me. Thats what made me throw the chair. I wasnt willing to go back to school, so they found me a place at the CEC.
The majority of pupils, such as Jonathan and Cathy, are excluded from school because of violent or aggressive behaviour towards pupils or teachers. Others are expelled for rudeness or repeated truancy. Most finish their education in pupil referral units such as Project 16 and the Complementary Education Centre.
None of the pupils are angry they had been thrown out of school. Although mainstream school had failed them, they were surprisingly dedicated to their education and believe the units have got the right approach to learning. None wants to go back to school. Some of their friends even want to be excluded so they can go to the Pupil Referral Units instead of school.
The teachers make you call them by their first name, they dont believe in calling you sir or miss, explains Jermaine. Theyre nice to you, they crack jokes, theyve got a good sense of humour.
The more relaxed and friendly atmosphere is a stark contrast to their experiences in school. Most saw that as a stressful place, rather than a learning environment, where they battled with teachers, who were treated as the enemy.
Because everyone is easy going, youre relaxed and not boiling up waiting for teachers, says Jonathan.
Julia Press, 17, a Children's Express editor, says: I can understand why people cant get on at school. I used to be very aggressive at primary school because I was being bullied. The teachers didnt do anything.
I think teachers are less likely to tolerate as much these days. I read somewhere that because of the league tables, schools arent willing to put up with children who will damage their reputation. They just get rid of them.
Relationships between pupils and teachers at the PRUs are based on mutual respect, a concept alien to pupils before they joined.
Treat pupils with respect and then maybe more would want to go to school, urges Christina, 14, who started at Complementary Education Centre after missing more than a year of school through illness.
Lizzie Kenyon, 13, a Children's Express reporter, adds: Teachers in mainstream schools should spend more time with a pupil to find out what the underlying problems are. But they need permission from a higher level to do that.
Class sizes at the PRUs are a fraction of those in school. Classes of just seven or eight ensure pupils get individual time with the teacher, and pupils feel they can ask for help without being seen as disruptive and a burden. They get the support and attention they need to study effectively.
In my old school I was disruptive. I couldnt do my work and I was rude all the time. Teachers didnt pay me any attention, they just put something down in front of my face and expected me to do it without explaining anything, Jermaine says.
And Chaney: They give you more help here and explain things to you properly. The teachers are different because they havent got as many students in each class.
Many of the pupils discover they are capable of much more than they ever thought possible. I reckon Ive done more work in one term here than I have in whole year at mainstream school, says Jonathan, who sees gaining a clutch of GCSEs as a chance to prove his old teachers wrong.
Jermaine is proud of his achievements and ambitious about the future. Im proud that I come here. Ive done so much work. When I leave here I want to become a computer analyst, he says.
They are grateful for the opportunity theyve been given at the PRUs and feel it is up to the rest of the system to catch up with the more progressive approach of the units. I wish I had been here from the start it would have been much better, says Jonathan. Im helping myself to get GCSEs, Im not misbehaving, my whole family is happy with me so Im happy, Jermaine says.
About the team
Report by Julia Press, 17, Erica Rutherford, 16, Natasha Massiah, 14, Lizzie Kenyon, 13, Duane OGarro, 12, and Benjamina Avro, 9. It was published in the Highbury & Islington Express.
