Constructing a narrative: Moral discourse and young people’s experiences of exclusion

Before exploring the dynamic context in which exclusion is experienced and accounted for, it is important to note the dramatic escalation in the number of pupils being excluded in recent years (Bennathan, 1993). In response to this increase, there have been a number of studies exploring the relationship between changes in education policy and excluding practices and the possible consequences of exclusion for pupils (Parfrey, 1993). Such questions about why exclusions occur are important, but they do not attend to how the exclusion is accounted for and what it means to pupils and teachers.