ABSTRACT
In this chapter we report on girls’ views of exclusion as a disciplinary sanction and on their views of what makes an inclusive school. We examine alternative educational provision and consider whether it is experienced as inclusion or exclusion. Students reflect on their experiences of learning and seek to identify the characteristics of a good teacher. Their experiences and observations provide valuable insights into those factors that enable schools to be experienced as inclusive. School organisational and structural factors, pastoral support strategies, the curriculum and pedagogy all feature in their discussions. They emphasise the importance of positive relationships between teachers and students, between students themselves and also between the school and parents. Drawing on their experiences, the girls make suggestions on how schools might become more inclusive and democratic. As we have argued in chapter 2, questions of school inclusion and exclusion are questions of human rights, and one of the key features of a democratic society must be an inclusive school system. Any form of educational exclusion is inconsistent with the principles of a democratic society (Ballard, 1999).
