ABSTRACT
This final chapter examines the questions which concern young children starting school, it will consider how children ascertain what behaviour is expected of them in the classroom. This relates directly to the issue of (in)equality and (re)distribution of resources, for which the previous three chapters have set the scene. It covers two important aspects of rules: the covert and the overt. ‘Covert’ rules, it is suggested, are the routines and rituals of the classroom environment which govern children as much, if not more than, they are governed by more formal ‘overt’ rules. In using the word ‘covert’ to describe routines, it is not implied that these are necessarily negative, merely that they often function with less critical scrutiny, and indeed sometimes more effectiveness, than other forms of governance. Thus, they need careful appraisal to evaluate how, if at all, they contribute to children’s participation in the classroom.
