Every child has the right to access education in a safe environment. To help make sure this happens, your child’s school will have a policy setting out how it expects all pupils to behave. It should include how pupils are celebrated when they’ve done well and what could happen if they do not follow the rules, for example verbal warnings, loss of privileges or detentions.
For the vast majority of pupils, early support can help manage any issues they may have with behaviour, however schools have the power to suspend or permanently exclude pupils as a last resort in the most serious or dangerous of cases. These are formal, legal sanctions which prevent a child from being in school either temporarily or permanently, with the aim of making sure that other pupils are protected from the disruption caused by serious behaviour, and can learn in a safe and calm environment.
What support is available?
Too many children are being permanently excluded from school, and the number is growing. We need to work together to reduce this and ensure that all children in Devon have the education and opportunities they deserve.
Devon’s Education Inclusion Service provides a statutory, but impartial service to parents and carers, professionals and governors. They offer advice and support about inclusion, reintegration and exclusion to promote, support and encourage continuous learning and achievement for every child. Their involvement can help a child to stay in school or return to school after an exclusion and offer opportunities to help them achieve their full potential. To contact the Inclusion Service, please email educate.educationinclusion-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.
Devon Information Advice and Support (DiAS) has lots of useful information and resources on their website to support parent carers with questions and difficult conversations. The information is available as web pages and as PDF factsheets which you can download. Or, you can contact DiAS for a copy.
Fixed-term exclusion or suspension
A suspension (sometimes called a fixed-term exclusion) is when a child is temporarily not allowed to be at school. If the exclusion is over five days long, then the school must make arrangements for full-time education to be provided.
It can be hard to think of suspension as a positive thing, but it can be a good opportunity to look at your child’s support and needs, and how they’re managing in school. Their behaviour could be signal that something is not right, so ask about, and listen to, what your child is saying about their day-to-day school life to try and understand the underlying causes and whether additional support is needed.
Permanent exclusion or expulsion
For the most serious breaking of the school rules, or persistent disruptive behaviour, a child may be permanently excluded (sometimes called expulsion). It means they are no longer allowed to attend their current school and must go somewhere else to receive their full-time education. An inclusion officer will work closely with you to identify a new school as swiftly as possible, and to ensure that education is in place in the meantime.
Permanent exclusion should only be used in the most serious of circumstances and is meant to be a last resort. You will have a right to challenge the headteacher’s decision in front of three impartial governors. If the decision has been upheld by the governing board you can apply for an Independent Review Panel (IRP) hearing to review their decision.
What if my child has SEND?
Like all pupils, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can be suspended and permanently excluded. However, schools have a legal duty to consider if a child’s behaviour is a direct result of their SEND, or whether it contributed to them breaking the rules, and if the appropriate reasonable adjustments and support were in place so that their risk of exclusion wasn’t increased compared to pupils without SEND.