ABSTRACT
By supporting young people, through engaging authentically with their voices and truly listening to what they have to say, we may hopefully be able to address the fractured nature of educational inclusion. It is unsurprising, given the experiences outlined, that the young people emphasise personal attributes such as understanding, caring, kindness and flexibility as important aspects of a supportive teacher. The term understanding was preponderant across the data, particularly in the ‘good teacher, bad teacher’ activity which was used by participants to offer many attributes of a supportive teacher. Some participants also drew upon islets of support they experienced from mainstream teachers. Supportive teachers ensure their pupils have access to a curriculum that imparts knowledge and develops skills while also supporting emotional and social wellbeing. The strategies, approaches and adaptations used to deliver the curriculum can support pupil wellbeing and enable access to learning, or conversely young people can be left outside the learning of the classroom, becoming academically isolated.
