• Home
• News and Comment
• Kent Secondary School Admissions
• Medway Secondary School Admissions
• City Academies
• What we do
• Grammar School Applications
• Individual School Information
• Grammar School Appeals
• Oversubscription Appeals
• School Transport and Appeals
• Ombudsman
• Special Needs
• Complaints
• Primary School Admission and Appeal
• Bullying
• Exclusion
• Q & A
• Explanation of Some Technical Terms
• Links
• Peter Read
• Can I help you, and how much will it cost?

Selected Quote:

“without your knowledge, help and support through this traumatic time we, along with many other parents would have been at a total loss”

Exclusion

• Exclusions are of two types: fixed term and permanent (expulsion).

• Parents will find excellent free advice booklets on Exclusion downloadable from the Advisory Centre for Education. These are available at ACE. The charity also offers free telephone advice.
  

• Parents have a right of appeal where an exclusion is for more than five days, or is permanent. A governing body committee has to meet to discuss exclusions totalling more than fifteen days in a term, or are permanent.

• Often the governors will support the headteacher.

• For a permanent exclusion parents have the right to appeal to an Independent Appeals Panel, after the governors hearing.

• The DCSF considers:

In most cases exclusion will be the last resort after a range of measures have been tried to improve the pupil’s behaviour. In schools and LEAs a range of strategies should be in place to address the bad behaviour which may lead to exclusion. Head teachers should be able to refer pupils identified at risk of exclusion, to alternative or additional provision to meet their individual needs, which could include working in partnership with other agencies. The school continues, however, to be responsible for these pupils as they are still on the school roll.

• Many pupils are properly excluded from school and Peter does not intervene in such cases.

• Parents will find detailed procedures at here.

• Far too many children with statements of special educational need are permanently excluded from school. The above guidance states:

Other than in the most exceptional circumstances, schools should avoid permanently excluding pupils with statements. They should also make every effort to avoid excluding pupils who are being supported at School Action or School Action Plus under the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, including those at School Action Plus who are being assessed for a statement.

A recent study by the Bow Group established that out of 9000 children permanently excluded from mainstream primary or secondary schools  in 2005/6  almost 6000 had Special Needs. Half of the 78600 children suspended more than once in a single year had Special Needs. Despite making up just 20% of pupils in England, children with Special Needs or disabilities account for two thirds of all exclusions.

• I only get involved in a limited number of exclusions, where I consider that there are extenuating circumstances, or that the school has acted inappropriately. In such cases, I am prepared to advise parents on the best way to proceed, and/or to represent them at appeal panels.

• Sadly, I have lost two just two of these in recent years, both children with severe Special Needs. The most recent child was on School Action Plus, but when we requested his Special Needs file (eventually received after three requests) it showed the school had taken no action whatever to support him in 15 months, despite the parent being on record several times as pleading for help.
  

• In many cases before a permanent exclusion is considered, the school will propose a Pastoral Support Programme. DFES guidance on this is helpful, and can be seen here.
  

• Statistics obtained for the BBC give: