ABSTRACT
Education systems in a number of countries continue to express concerns about an apparently inexorable increase in the number of pupils displaying difficult behaviour in schools and classrooms. This ‘rising tide of disruption’ poses a number of complex problems not just for those who have to deal with difficult pupils on a regular basis but also for policy makers and other services. In England, for example, there have been a number of recent oscillations in policy advice for schools over how they should respond to the most difficult pupils in the system. The ‘New’ Labour government, concerned about adverse publicity from the rising number of pupil exclusions (see, for example, Imich, 1994; Blyth & Milner, 1993; Parsons & Howlett, 1996; Morris, 1996; Castle & Parsons, 1997; Hayden, 1997; Smith, 1998; Parsons, 1999, among others), has found it difficult to provide consistent advice to schools as to whether or not the most problematic pupils should or should not be ‘excluded’. Traditionally, of course, the English system has made use of provision for disruptive pupils in ‘special’ schools, units and latterly through Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). However, the recurring vacillations in policy over the extent to which such provisions should be used in favour of schools seeking to develop more effective ‘in-house’ and ‘inclusive’ responses have helped in establishing an inconsistency for those in both mainstream and special sectors. In the face of this lack of consistency we will argue that there is a significant danger that by focusing too narrowly on the needs of those pupils with the most obvious and pressing behavioural difficulties the needs of those with emotional problems will be overlooked. In support of this we will draw from the extensive research literature that already exists and also from a recent large-scale survey undertaken in Greece. This survey of teachers’ attitudes provides an important comparative dimension in understanding the dangers that exist for policy makers and practitioners in the face of increasing disruption within schools and classrooms.
