What helps young people at risk of exclusion to remain in high school? Using Q methodology to hear student voices

This study explores the views of young people attending within-school ‘alternative’ provision to support their return to mainstream classes. Q-methodology was used to explore pupil views about what helps and inhibits successful on-site ‘reintegration’. Eighteen pupils aged 13–16 years with experience of attending school inclusion centres in three high schools participated. Protective factors supporting reintegration and mitigating the risk of further exclusion from school included the need to be seen and heard, and to have somewhere or someone to go to for support. The study highlights the importance of pupil voice and a need for greater clarity in terminology used to describe the shifting terrain of inclusion. Further research is needed on the context and factors driving the rise in in-school alternative provision in England, including blind spots in official data on the extent of pupil moves and subsequent opportunities within mainstream settings.