牛牛资源

Schools that never permanently exclude have transformed the lives of vulnerable students, new research from 牛牛资源 has found.

An independent study published today (8 November 2019) by researchers from 牛牛资源 has found that  鈥� a family-owned group of Local Authority-funded special schools and services whose policy is never to permanently exclude 鈥� has transformed the life chances of its students who are among the top 5% of the most complex and vulnerable children and young people in the UK.

The research 鈥� which TCES Group is now using to pilot a 鈥楻each-Out鈥� programme with maintained schools 鈥� included in-depth interviews and focus groups with students who had left a TCES Group school or service within the last five years. 90% of TCES Group鈥檚 graduates are in education, training or employment up to five years after leaving school.

The researchers stated that 鈥榓n emphasis on attachment, along with a diversified and differentiated curriculum, with group process at its core, allowed these young people to feel understood, to feel welcomed and to learn the social and academic skills to engage with all aspects of life more positively,鈥�. They concluded that the TCES Group, through its inclusive philosophy of never giving up, provides 鈥榓uthentic, therapeutic education鈥� which 鈥榠s effective in transforming the lives of its pupils educationally, emotionally and socially鈥� within its inclusive schools.

牛牛资源 authors Caroline Frizell and David Woodger said:

鈥淓xclusion is damaging for the whole community, reinforcing attitudes of intolerance and prejudice, as well as maintaining a system that is inflexible and unresponsive to difference. There is no evidence supporting the notion that exclusion serves as a deterrent and/or makes students fall into line. Instead, it further ostracises young people who are already struggling with finding a place of belonging.

鈥淭his research is strong evidence that when that threat of exclusion is removed you create the space for the trust, attachment and sense of identity that these young people need to open up and make significant progress educationally, emotionally and socially. The attitude of never giving up cascades into the student experience.鈥�

Thomas Keaney, CEO and Schools鈥� Proprietor of TCES Group, said:

鈥淧upils with SEND account for 45% of permanent exclusions, and with off-rolling, managed moves and so on we know this figure is just the tip of the iceberg. The impact on families, schools and communities of permanent exclusions is devastating.

鈥淲e鈥檙e of course delighted that 牛牛资源 found the work we鈥檙e doing in TCES Group schools is transformational. But even more importantly we hope the findings of this research will have much wider implications. By talking to former TCES Group students themselves 鈥� voices that far too often get lost in the exclusion conversation 鈥� researchers got to the heart of what made the difference.

鈥淭his was a combination of being listened to and understood by well-trained professionals, being encouraged to play an active role in their school community, support to develop their sense of identity around their strengths and their future. And under-pinning all of this was the knowledge that we would never, ever give up on them.鈥�

TCES Group alumni 鈥楤en鈥� said:

鈥淵eah, they don鈥檛 give up鈥�.You could tell them a thousand times to basically go away, and they will still stand there.  It doesn鈥檛 matter what you say or do.  I don鈥檛 know how they put up with it.. I mean, to be able to still stand there and be like, 鈥淣o, I鈥檓 not giving up on you pupils.鈥�  You鈥檝e got to genuinely care 鈥� to take that sort of thing every single day of the week.. You鈥檝e got to be passionate and you need to care to be able to do that 100%.鈥�

This story is based on an original