Introduction

The educational initiatives of the 1980s showed that for many pupils the application of a structured curriculum is irrelevant unless there is recognition and understanding of how pupils learn in school and what makes for difficulty and failure. This chapter illustrates well how events occurring sometimes within the school but more likely in the local community, affect what happens in schools and teachers' perceptioris of the 'displaced' behaviour in the context of the classroom. It offers the view that matters relating to discipline, in a context of whole-school policies, for the pupil in particular and the school in general, are best dealt with through appropriate curriculum approaches. The chapter provides a detailed account of how some of the 1980s initiatives were developed in Oxfordshire utilizing school-community links, the methods of instrumental enrichment, and residential experiences. It also provides the reader not only with the rationale of the Somerset Course material, but illustrations and references for further reading.