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

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The author of several books, and the editor of many more, Ian is known by thousands of teachers and young people across the world for his award-winning Thunks books. Thunks grew out of Ian's work with Philosophy for Children (P4C), and are beguiling yet deceptively powerful little philosophical questions that he has created to make children's – as well as their teachers' – brains hurt.

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. 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. This book should be an essential piece of reading for everyone who works with, or is interested in the lives of children who struggle to be included or are often overlooked. In the midst of a lot of noise and anger about a failing system, it focuses our attention on the humanity of children, their individual needs and how to support them to succeed. The short chapters mean it is a book that can be dipped in and out of regularly, looking at excellent legal and practical advice as well as inspirational stories of success. Interesting memoir by a guy who grew up in the 80's and 90's with severe ADHD. He dropped out of high school after failing too many classes to graduate, but did get his GED, go on to college, and eventually grad school...ending up teaching at Harvard. I participate in a Facebook group where the discussion centers largely around learning differences in students, and ideas for helping those students receive an education that works for them. The group was born when a friend of mine met a lot of resistance from both her child's teacher and the school/school district in trying to get her daughter help. She also met plenty of resistance from the educational system in trying to figure out why she was struggling in the first place.

More Reviews

This is an outstanding book in terms of content, awareness and relevance of the issues facing schools with increasing numbers of learners falling by the wayside. The authors enable the reader to reflect on real issues that arise and ways forward to promote potential. The book will be a major asset for teachers and lecturers at all levels to develop confidence, awareness, and personal safe practice to promote change. In particular, it serves as a reminder to all senior managers to change the mind set from re-shaping the square peg to broadening the round hole. Square Peg is a informative book for parents and educators alike. I think it might be my new teaching mantra as I have recommended it to several of my colleagues already. I'm going to end with one of my favorite quotes included in the book. 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. assisted with a BBC news story and secured national coverage ( BBC Breakfast, regional TV, local radio) in September 2019 I am at the midpoint in the book where he is starting to get his act together. Up to this point I think he is a sociopath who is coddled by his mother. His father seems a distant and strict character who does not try to make any attachment with him and does not try a more personal approach to modifying his behavior. As a child he is totally self-involved with no desire to control his behavior (and, again, not much real help in getting it corrected). He proved that he could have changed his behavior any time it benefited him when he reinvented himself at the new school ... and again when his girlfriend got pregnant and he decided that it behooved him to become responsible. At both of these times he was, again, self-serving and it continued to be 'all about' him. At this point, also, I don't see how he gave any indication of being an innovator, visionary or out-of-the-box thinker; he was just a stinker.

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. Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in - a guide for schools – Fran Morgan – Heath BooksThe authors and their contributors champion the needs of all children who are ‘square pegs’ and write with passion about the ways in which the school system often fails to meet their needs and to recognise their strengths.The book provides personal and professional insights into an alternative, positive vision of education. Budget cuts, the loss of support staff, an overly academic curriculum, problems in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system and difficulties accessing mental health support have all compounded pre-existing problems with behaviour and attendance. The 'attendance = attainment' and zero-tolerance narrative is often at odds with the way schools want to work with their communities, and many school leaders don't know which approach to take. One of the strengths of the book is the varied voices it features. The editors do an excellent job of highlighting these experiences through the many personal stories and expert insights, making this book a must-read for educators and school leaders seeking to understand, appreciate, and nourish the unique qualities that make each student special. However, with so many authors offering differing opinions, the book can leave the reader feeling a bit muddled with conflicting advice and viewpoints as well as repetitive chapters. As a parent of two "square pegs" (both my children are autistic, amongst other needs), this book was a good read. Sometimes though, it was a bit over my head as it is aimed more at educators than at parent/carers. However, one of my "square pegs" has been so let down by the system that she is currently not in school. She was even let down by the special needs school we got her into after she crashed out of mainstream school. I just wish that educators would rethink how they approach children. I wish that politicians would stop trying to fix things by putting arbitrary targets into place. There needs to be a wholesale change in culture. Not every child's success is the same. We need to be able to help all children succeed, even if that means different ways for each child. Written by Fran Morgan with Ellie Costello and edited by Ian Gilbert, Square Pegs: Inclusivity, compassion and fitting in – a guide for schools is a book for educators who find themselves torn between a government/Ofsted narrative around behaviour, attendance and attainment, and their own passion for supporting square pegs and their families.