“The notion of an unteachable child, that is nonsense,” says Dr Simon Edwards, senior lecturer at youth studies at the University of Portsmouth. “There is no such thing.”

Edwards’ view comes from extensive experience: he has worked across the education spectrum, from mainstream teacher, to being a teacher in AP and now as a researcher working with children deemed even too tough for pupil referral units. Speaking on this week’s Tes Podagogy, he talks at length about why children get excluded, why he thinks no child is unteachable, and how we can best support these young people.