Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in – a guide for schools

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Recently, a 13-year-old girl with autism gave me a list of what a good school for her would look like: well-organised, supportive, calm, focused on learning, there to help. These are all things we would want to see for every child in every school. After spending two years out of the classroom because a succession of schools was unable to meet her needs, she went on to find a school which understood her and provided the springboard she needed to do well. She went on to achieve great things in her GCSEs and is now in sixth form. Like Square Peg, I want all schools to see the potential in all children and provide the support they need. Rose's book is simultaneously a memoir and a textbook which teaches parents and teachers how to cater to individual learning styles. He has great ideas for using all of the technology available today to help the students that struggle in a traditional learning environment. I liked how he had 'Big Ideas' and 'Action Items' after every chapter. I liked even more that the action items often included things like "give your child a hug!" Rose, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a youth and consequently dropped out of high school with a 0.9 GPA, is now a faculty member of the Harvard School of Education. His story is inspiring, and his ideas for our children even more so. With all the buzz around it, it was evident that the premise of this book was resonating with teachers in a big way. The title and concept spoke deeply to me, and I was clearly not alone. Before it was even available to read, Square Pegs had allegedly already gone into its second print run. No child should miss out on a good education and the chance of opportunities in life just because their school doesn’t give them the support they need to succeed. Most schools cherish and value the children who have special educational needs; there are also some who do not place inclusion high on their list of priorities, and exclude or marginalise children rather than provide the mental health and therapeutic support they need.

Crown House is an award-winning independent publisher specialising in education, coaching, NLP, hypnosis, self-help and personal development. As a teacher, I can get defensive when faced with a critique of the profession and this book certainly doesn’t shy away from that. However, I made a conscious decision to leave my teacher hat at the door and to give the book a fair shot. Bringing different perspectives and expertise together in one place, Square Pegs aims to help school leaders and staff support children (and their families) more effectively. The authors cover a wide variety of topics – including school attendance, building relationships, trauma-informed practice, and behaviour management. Featuring contributions from more than 50 individual authors, this is an accessible, dip-in, dip-out book – perfect for busy school leaders. This is a short, compelling book that education leaders should read. The author was a hyperactive, disruptive, mostly unlikable child. He flunked out of school. But he went on to be accepted to Harvard. How does that happen, and what can we learn from his experience? The other issue he mention in the book was using medication. His mom was concerned about it and he provided his thoughts on it as well. Of course, medication should never be used on a child, just because the parents don't have the patience for handling their child's unlimited flow of energy, doesn't make it ok to sedate them just because. There are plenty of books on how to cope with children who are hyperactive. I choose not to say ADHD because it is a label that is often abused and used on a child who shows the slightest sign of being hyper. Can you imagine if some of the greatest minds of our history were medicated as children, where we would be today? Exactly.....think about that for a minute.

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In recent years, many schools in England have started to implement strict policies around behaviour, curriculum and attendance. As the screws tighten, more and more square pegs (read ‘deeply distressed young people’) have started voting with their feet. When you stop going to school, it creates all kinds of problems: home visits, financial penalties and, incredibly, the threat of custodial sentences for the parents and carers of persistent ‘offenders'. The fact that so many young people should choose such strife over attending school should tell us something very important about their lived experience of our one-size-fits-all education system. It seems likely that increasing numbers of square pegs will continue voting with their feet until we reach crisis point. But this crisis can be averted if we listen to the voices of those affected now. This brilliantly curated book is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in creating a more diverse, empathic, responsive educational ecosystem that works for all young people. Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in - a guide for schools – Fran Morgan – Heath Books Key features of the compelling, insightful and at times challenging book is that it encourages practitioners at the coal face, in a wide range of roles, to discuss what works for them by offering positive and practical strategies for teachers at all levels. Despite this limitation, the book offers valuable insights and inspiration for those working in education. It reinforces how it is essential that we prioritise supporting our square pegs in schools and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable education system for all. Equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge to support these pupils can have a lifelong impact on their academic, personal, and professional development.

Over the last few years, changes in education have made it increasingly hard for those children who don't 'fit' the system - the square pegs.

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I've come across this "rote memorization" argument a lot lately when reading about education reform. But when I hear a 7th-grade math teacher say that her students don't know what 3 times 4 is, I have to argue that, actually, there is still a place for memorization in our children's education: times tables, for instance. Autism is a spectrum condition and affects people in different ways. Like all people, autistic people have their own strengths and weaknesses. Social interaction and communication can be difficult for some autistic people but others may enjoy it. Intense interests and repetitive behaviour are often seen along with differing sensory experiences'. Reading this book reinforced in me how essential it is that we prioritise supporting our ‘square pegs’ and work towards a more inclusive and equitable education system. More than that, it’s a valuable resource with a host of insightful and empowering perspectives on the experiences and challenges faced by these students. This story made me so angry! And even though that was probably 20-30 years ago, things like this still happen quite commonly in our educational system.