Exclusion of Primary School Students: Archival Analysis of School Records Over a 30-year Period.

Abstract

Tennyson Special School (TSS) is one option available to primary school students with emotional and behavioural difficulties, who have been excluded, suspended, or otherwise referred outside the regular school setting. This school has provided alternative placements for 301 students during its 1973-2003 history. Archival analysis of TSS records for the period from 1985 to 2003 identified paper-based files for 190 students. Analysis of demographic and school-related variables revealed ongoing changes in student population and pedagogy. Over time, the school shifted its focus from children with learning difficulties to boys with behavioural problems. Whereas 24-month stays were possible 10 years ago, the long-term program at TSS now deals mainly with 6- to 13-year-old children who exit within 6 months.