Schools and delinquent behaviour Troubles of Youth 21 January 2008

Lecture Outline Sociological Theories of Education Theoretical Links between Education and Delinquency Problems in Schools Policy Responses Exclusions and Criminal Careers

How we perceive Education Education is traditionally cited in positive, functional terms The location of positive change in –life chances –economic and social inequalities –personal improvement –independence

Sociological Approaches (1) Functionalist Sociology –education provides moral education: the basis of social order –Formal education is strongly related to wider socialisation processes –Skills and knowledge important aspects, but the “hidden curriculum” of regulation vital –Education acts to discriminate and rank individuals, to the benefit of the rest of society

Sociology Approaches (2) Conflict based sociology Education acts to maintain and reproduce social inequalities Working class children, and female pupils have roles and expectations matched to realistically low achievements For middle class children, education operates to reproduce culturally dominant modes of behaviour and achievement Education perpetuates the myth of meritocracy

Schools reflect wider society? Little independent effect of schooling –Conflict Theories Schools act to prepare young people for the alienation of capitalist / patriarchal / racist society –Social Disorganisation Schools are examples and reflections of widespread community disintegration, which diminishes effective socialisation

Schools as arenas of Personal Failure? Absence of self-control; impulsiveness; weak perception of consequences of action etc. David Farrington –the same factors that predict offending careers trigger educational failure –Low IQ -> Educational Failure -> Lack of goal achievement -> offending Social Development –Schools can act to reinforce or inhibit effective social bonds between individuals, and to wider groups –Anti-school subculture

Schools as Situationally important Schools provide the critical mix for crime opportunity –“at-risk of victimisation” members of society –high value, sellable property –motivated offenders –(possibly) low-levels of effective supervision Independent Effects of Schools Labelling Theories –establishment and re-enforcement of categories of young people

Disaffection and “Trouble” in Schools Tension between individual needs and that of the group is apparent throughout the education system Sources of ‘trouble’ for children in school –failure to do their work –behaviour towards others –attendance

Steer Report (2005) “It is often the case that for pupils, school is a calm place in a disorderly world. We realise that this is not the case in every school, but in our experience, where unsatisfactory behaviour does occur, in the vast majority of cases it involves low-level disruption in lessons. Incidents of serious misbehaviour, and especially acts of extreme violence, remain exceptionally rare and are carried out by a very small proportion of pupils” some new forms problematic behaviour around new technology “in loco parentis”?: “a trend for parents to challenge schools at law…. has continued and intensified”

Policy Responses Level 1: Whole school strategies Policies and strategies: behaviour; bullying; Equal Opps; SEN provision, teaching and learning strategies Agreements home-school agreements Individual pupils educational targets; behavioural expectations: possibly Individual Behaviour Planes, Pastoral Support Plans: Personal Education Plans The curriculum PSHE; citizenship education; teaching and learning strategies Levels 2: In-school and more intensive support (patchy provision) Withdrawal rooms or Leaning Support Units; group and individual work; learning mentors Level 3: Combination and reintegration programmes and plans (patchy provision) Part-time at school: part-time at an FE college, sometimes with a view to reintegration “Include” programmes Level 4: Out of School provision Pupil Referral Units, home tuition, residential placements Source: Hayden, C. (2005) Children in Trouble, Palgrave

Source: Hayden, C et al (2007) Schools, pupil behaviour and young offenders; BRIT. J. CRIMINOL. Vol 47 pp 293–310

Crime Reduction in Secondary Schools Key Factors in Enhancing Life Chances and preventing offending –Good quality staff / pupil relationships –Importance of recognising parental / carer’s roles –Commitment to implementation across the whole school –Integration of measures into wider practices

Exclusions and Offending Careers

The independent effects of permanent exclusion from school on the offending careers of young people David Berridge et al (2001) Aim: to establish whether permanent exclusion from school had an independent effect on offending career Research Problems: –official data; informal practices; theoretical problem

Findings

Findings (2) Substantial majority of excluded pupils were involved in crime Substantial majority of young people involved in crime had been excluded from school Other non-school risk (personality and socio-demographic) risk-factors also present Exclusion triggers a series of events loosening commitment to a conventional way of life - loss of structured time - changing self-perception, identity and relationship with family - loosening contact with pro-social peers and adults - closer contact with similar situated peers - enhanced police surveillance Transition to secondary school problematic for many Black African-Caribbean students: greater teacher apprehension Permanent exclusions usually the end of a lengthy process of warnings and fixed-term exclusions: little planning for post-exclusion care, though