Archive

Children at the margins: Supporting children, supporting schools

Edited by Tom Billington and Michael Pomerantz, Trentham Books (2004) 

£17.99

ISBN I 85856 324 0

Star Rating 4/5

Children can become marginalised within the education system as a result of pathologising. This means that a label is applied which places the blame for the condition on the child, rather than the context or community which produces it. The result of this medical model is to exacerbate educational failure and social exclusion.

Vulnerable groups include pupils who may be described as violent or challenging, pupils who have additional special educational needs, children who are seriously socially disadvantaged, or whose cultural status may already be marginalised.

Current educational psychology practice may be exacerbating the problem by adding to the labelling process, but this need not be so. Billington and Pomerantz have brought together contributions from educational psychologists who consider aspects of their role in the school and the community and seek to challenge theories and practices that serve to marginalise children.

Adopting a social model rather than a medical model, looks at removing disabling barriers such as attitudes and practices and focuses on changing them, rather than "adjusting" the child to fit the current system. A key to this, as advocated by most of the contributors, is to listen to the child, to make their wishes the cornerstone of future actions relating to them.  Children who feel heard are more likely to engage meaningfully.

While many readers of 0-19 would agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments, are there any clear directions for forward progress? The problem needs tackling at institutional, group and individual levels. Several interventions in schools are described and evaluated, such as approaches to ADHD, and including disabled children.

The book is lively and provocative, perhaps a little short of clear forward directions for practitioners who wish to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

John Gott is an educational psychologist, Lancashire.

h:\sen-eps staff\john gott\children at the margins.doc

h:\sen-eps staff\john gott\children at the margins.doc