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From The Socialist newspaper, 12 September 2018
School students in solitary: for full funding, not exclusion!
Privately run 'academy' schools are among the most punitive - school workers stopped academisation in east London with strikes, photo James Ivens (Click to enlarge)
Allan Gittisham, school teacher, London Socialist Party
'Isolation booths' - solitary confinement in all but name - are an increasingly common feature of 'zero-tolerance' school behaviour policies.
As the new school year begins, there is, as always, a flurry of articles detailing parents' and school students' opposition to uniform and behaviour policies at schools around the country.
One privately run 'academy' school in Stoke reportedly took dozens of students out of class for not having the correct purple trim on their trousers. And the Outwood Grange Academies Trust has released statistics on exclusions, with one of its schools in Middlesbrough suspending a staggering 41% of its students.
Many of the schools with draconian behavioural policies justify them on the basis that they are part of 'raising standards'.
It is true that for any school to function successfully there need to be clear and consistent systems in place. Students themselves often comment that they like to 'know where they stand' in terms of their behaviour and possible consequences.
'Zero tolerance'
However, the trend towards 'zero tolerance' is a worrying one that needs addressing to stop harm to individuals and communities.
Exclusion policies - isolation, suspension and expulsion - often prevent students learning the nuances of interaction with others. At best they are quick fixes which store up more problems in the long term.
And schools chasing league table positions sometimes use exclusions to artificially boost results by getting rid of students who may not perform well in exams.
These developments must be seen in the light of the massive cuts to state education. In the past, young people with complex needs would receive extra support to manage their behaviour and talk through their problems.
But social inclusion and special educational needs departments have been devastated by austerity and privatisation. Now exclusions are the preferred 'strategy' instead.
We need to fight for a genuinely inclusive education system, publicly owned and fully funded to meet the needs of all young people in education. School students, staff and parents must have proper democratic input into developing policies and systems based on mutual respect and genuine support - not quarantine.
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In The Socialist 12 September 2018:
What we think
Corbyn must lead in fight against the Blairites
News
Tories in chaos - general election now!
Enfield North Labour Party votes 'no confidence' in its MP
4m children in homes that can't afford fruit and veg
Fearful bosses call for 'fairer capitalism'...
School students in solitary: for full funding, not exclusion!
Financial crash
10 years since the financial crash - the socialist answer to capitalist crisis
Workplace
NSSN rally: militant trade unionists share ideas to win for workers
TUC congress Brexit debate: unions must lead fight for a general election
Guards move closer to beating driver-only operation on Merseyrail giving confidence to other strikes
Cardiff Uber Eats couriers strike back against bosses
International socialist news and analysis
Nicaragua: With the people against the Ortega government and imperialism
Support for Putin's regime dips over major attacks on state pensions
Sweden: left and far right gain as establishment parties falter
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Catford campaign against regeneration
Students unite and fight - free education now!
Reading council plans privatisation - set a no-cuts budget instead!
EDL outnumbered and confronted in Worcester
Fight against billionaire Newcastle boss Mike Ashley continues
Opinion
When working class women dominated football
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2018