Theorizing school exclusion: perspectives from a UK wide study of school exclusion

In the context of rising disciplinary school exclusions in England in contrast to the other United Kingdom jurisdictions of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the project The Political Economies of School Exclusion Across the UK (2019-2024) aimed to develop a home international multi-disciplinary understanding of the landscapes of political economies and the experiences and consequences of school exclusion across the United Kingdom. The research revealed divergent policy stances and directions on the purposes of exclusion, the responsibilities of schools, and the role of the state overall in bringing about more equitable system of education.<br/><br/>There were many complexities involved in conducting a ‘home international’ comparison of the four UK jurisdictions. For example, there are differences in both language use around exclusion and the sources, types and frequency of reporting of available data. There are relatively close links between the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, local authorities and the educational community (although the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended 2002-07, 2017-20 and 2022-24). This is much less the case in England partly due to the fragmented and complex landscape of different governance types of state funded schools. Thes complexities highlighted the need to theorize and problematize conceptions and practices of exclusion across the UK.<br/><br/>This paper uses some of the findings from the research in order to critically examine and problematize school exclusion practices across the UK with a focus on remedying inequities and repairing harmful systems. We employ a dual theoretical approach to examine school exclusion practices and their consequences. We first adapt Graham and Thrift's (2007) conceptualization of repair to analyze how schools respond to perceived threats to order and uncover hidden infrastructures of exclusion used as "repairs" to disruptions. This framework allows us to challenge the normalcy of these mechanisms and propose equitable alternatives. Second, we develop a cultural-historical perspective on school exclusions to examine contradictions between policies across the UK for educational excellence and inclusive practices. By tracing legislative devolution across UK jurisdictions, we show how this led to differentiated exclusion practices, and analyze how these contradictions manifest in school cultures, and identifies opportunities for disrupting harmful practices.<br/>