Pupils or prisoners? Institutional geographies and internal exclusion in UK secondary schools

Abstract

A growing interest in the geographies of schooling has led to an exploration of a variety of school spaces. An increasing number of secondary schools offer internal fixed-term exclusions so that temporary removal from school is not seen as 'time off' for students. This particular strategy has led to the creation of a new type of space in schools. Drawing upon research undertaken in a London secondary school, this paper explores the geography of these new secluded spaces. We highlight that the configuration of physical space in Seclusion Units and the regulation of spatial practices create highly controlled and segregated spaces of punishment. We explore the powerful transformative effects of these spaces to change students' behaviour, social interaction and attitudes to learning. However, rather than simply creating docile subjects, we recognise that domination is never complete and we explore the extent and the limit of student resistance to the discipline and control of the Seclusion Unit.

Special Units for Young People on the Autistic Spectrum in Mainstream Schools: Sites of Normalisation, Abnormalisation, Inclusion, and Exclusion

“…Particular attention is given to the spatial metaphor of the panopticon (e.g. Barker et al, 2010). Gallagher (2011) importantly, highlights that these relationships of control and resistance are enacted through sound along with vision.…”

‘Who cares?’ Gender, care and secondary schooling: ‘Accidental findings’ from a seclusion unit

“…These comments reflect Lefebvre's notion of ‘representations of space’, that is how spaces are conceived and planned by legitimate authorities, in this case the school's SMT. This conceptualisation of seclusion reflects broader, long‐standing trends towards discipline, control and punishment within educational spaces (Capstick, ; Barker et al , ; Gilmore, ). The structure and organisation of schools sends clear symbolic messages about power and the geography of schools (Catling, ).…”

“…Evidence of the impact of seclusion is unclear and mixed (DfE, ). Some suggest that seclusion can reduce further instances of fixed‐term exclusions (Gilmore, ), whilst others report that impacts are short term and modest at best (Barker et al , ) or that no one single intervention is effective (Hallam & Castle, ; DfE, ). Research on PRUs reports mixed impacts on student motivation (Solomon & Rogers, ; Capstick, ).…”

Perspektiven für eine konzeptionelle Orientierung der Bildungsgeographie

“…Im englischsprachigen Raum ist derzeit das Aufleben einer nahezu ausschließlich qualitativ ausgerichteten geography of education zu beobachten, die jedoch ausführlichere Bezü-ge zur deutschsprachigen Forschung bislang vermissen lässt (Butler und Hamnett, 2007;Hanson Thiem, 2008;Barker et al, 2010;Cook und Hemming, 2010;Holloway et al, 2010;Hemming, 2011). Unter dem Namen geography of education and learning entwickelt sich zudem eine Forschungsrichtung, die sowohl eine Brücke zur Kindheits-und Jugendforschung (children's geographies) schlägt Holloway und Jöns, 2012) als auch den Blick verstärkt auf Orte und Einrichtungen der non-formalen und informellen Bildung richtet (Kraftl, 2013).…”