Constructions of childhood in school: Power, policy and practice in Irish education

This article considers the structuring of adult/child relations in Irish primary schools in terms of the absence of children's voice in much school practice. Drawing on the work of Foucault and Giddens, the article highlights how teacher constructions of childhood are framed within a 'needs' discourse, which precludes consideration of children's rights and status within school. The extent to which children accept or resist such construction is mediated by their age, gender and social class. Policy in relation to according children greater rights of consultation in school, as recommended in recent Irish legislation, will only be effective where teachers and children are afforded the opportunity to consider their relationship in terms of the exercise of power generally between adults and children, with implications for the rights and responsibilities of all parties in the educational encounter.