Conclusion

In 2019, England’s Children’s Commissioner published a report entitled “The Children Leaving School with Nothing”. Thus, bringing young people in from the margins is possible, but requires action at a macro and micro level. As James Pye argues, an inquisitive stance on the part of all professionals, combined with professional conversations about each young person can help spot issues early and guide practitioners towards the most effective response. Initiatives to collocate social workers, youth workers and mental health experts within schools therefore hold great promise. Tackling child poverty therefore needs to become a priority once again, since it is our greatest hope for bringing many young people in from the margins. Each group might, on its own, represent a minority of young people, and therefore be a peripheral concern for most policy makers, or a niche area of teacher expertise.