Reference
Dunnett, R., Fielding, C., & Bagnall, C. L. (2025). Alternative Provision Primary School Teachers’ Perspectives of Trust Within Student Teacher Relationships Following Exclusion and/or Suspension Transitions. International Journal of Educational and Life Transitions, 4(1): 1, pp. 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/ ijelt.81
Podcast
You can listen to Rose Dunnett providing an overview of the article here.
Transcript of the podcast
This paper explores primary school alternative provision teachers’ perspectives of trust within student teacher relationships following exclusion or suspension transitions and considers how trust is rebuilt following these transitions from mainstream education.
Trust within student teacher relationships is conceptualised in this paper as a protective factor in the positive development of young people. We acknowledge how potential underlying vulnerabilities of excluded children (such as the presence of special educational needs, social, emotional and mental health difficulties and adverse childhood experiences) can mean trust is particularly important for children affected by exclusion.
The findings of this study suggest feelings of rejection following exclusion transitions can impact on students’ self-esteem, self-worth and emotional safety, which causes a mistrust towards authority figures both in the educational setting and out, and ultimately affects their willingness to be vulnerable. This implication of exclusion is damaging as the alternative provision teachers see trust within student teacher relationships as essential for learning and development. When children develop feelings of trust and safety early on in their transitions they are more likely reach out and accept help.
When seeking to understand how trust is rebuilt following exclusion or suspension transitions, we learnt of the importance of honesty and consistency. Following through on actions and taking a nurturing approach can help rebuild that trust lost in exclusion transitions. As well as this, the alternative provision teachers focused on the importance of trauma – aware approaches when rebuilding trust; communicating with mainstream schools in order to understand the potential triggers of excluded children and being knowledgeable about methods of interacting with children in the alternative provision setting can help develop that all important trust within the student-teacher relationship.
Overall, this study presents exclusion transitions as a potentially damaging experience which has negative implications on young people’s abilities to form trusting relationships.
We hope that providing a unique insight into these compounding negative effects can help present suggestions for educational practise to support unplanned transitions to alternative provision. Specifically, through the use of trauma aware practise, unconditional positive regard strategies, supporting help-seeking behaviours and providing consistency and nurture when developing trusting student-teacher relationships with excluded children.
