Full Description
Spanning from the end of World War II to present, this book discusses theories of adolescent development and case studies of child-centredness from novels, television and film to interrogate English secondary state schools' approaches to the 'good' development of their students.
The author weaves discussion of the development of schools-based counselling, beginning in the 1960s, throughout to critically engage with the English state school approach to supporting the mental health of adolescents. The book teases out what is embedded in the idea of 'child-centredness' and how the child-centred teacher or counsellor is variously cast as the rotten core or virtuous centre of the English state secondary school. Chapters engage with political debates against various historical backdrops, such as contemporary discussion around the role of social media and technology in children's mental health. Readers will be encouraged to reflect on the ever-changing perspectives surrounding student development, child-centredness and mental health within education and how this may influence their own practice.
A humorous yet informative exploration of child-centredness within the intersection of education and therapy, this book is essential reading for school counsellors, therapists working with children and young people, secondary school teachers, pastoral staff and policy makers within education and mental health.
Contents
Foundations Introduction: Adolescence in the State School Story 1. Stories of Development and Change: theories and practice in schools Part I: Rebuilding 2. The Ordinary Devoted Teacher and the Secondary Modern in the 1950s 3. The Natural Child: The Newsom Report and progressive ideals in the 1960s Part II: Backlash 4. Comps and Delinquents: declining school standards in the 1970s 5. 'There's No Such Thing as Society': dysfunctional families and the 1980s' comprehensive 6. Stress in the System: opting out and aspiring up in the 1990s Part III: Fragmentation 7. 'Every Child Matters': the 2000s' school as a holding and shaming environment 8. Splits and Mergers: the academy stories of the 2010s 9. Individuation, Trauma and Identity: stories of resistance and school utopias Afterword: The COVID reset that didn't begin
