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This ½¿É«µ¼º½ Blog special issue responds to increasing concerns around school exclusions that have risen to almost and a in 2024 to phase out ‘cruel behaviour’ regimes in schools. The focus is shifting towards including the most vulnerable pupils while teachers face mounting stress and increasingly consider leaving the profession due to poor pupil behaviour.

Extensive research, however, including the and , shows no single root cause for exclusions. Broader factors such as home circumstances, school ethos and transitions from primary to secondary school, as well as teacher–student and peer relationships, have been found to impact behaviours leading to exclusions.

The blog posts in this special issue are intentionally chosen from commentators in the field, many of whom are not academics. Yet, their expertise, research and lived experiences bring deeply meaningful contexts to the debates being aired.

The contributions to this issue explore: 

• links between exclusions and teacher–pupil relationships
• the lack of support for parents of children with SEND or behaviour issues
• youth work practices and student reflections to demonstrate how positive adult connections can be supported to reduce exclusions and increase motivation, self-esteem and prosocial behaviour
• the benefits of youth work relationships for young people, allied services and communities
• how students’ successful academic and social development revolves around building positive teacher–pupil relationships
• identity and belonging within community spaces that extend to schools.