School exclusions
If a pupil is excluded from a school or pupil referral unit it’s because:
- they have broken the school’s rules for behaviour (school behaviour policy)
- allowing them to stay in school would harm the education or wellbeing of other students
Types of exclusion
There are 3 types of exclusion:
- Fixed period: excluded for one or more periods of 45 school days or less
- Lunch time: excluded from the site during lunch time periods (the equivalent of a fixed period exclusion for one half school day)
- Permanent: excluded from a school permanently
Only the headteacher or teacher in charge of a pupil referral unit, or person acting on their behalf, can exclude a pupil from school.
Appeals
Parents can challenge a child’s exclusion by appealing to an Independent Review Panel. The Panels have the power to:
- uphold the exclusion
- recommend that school governors look at the case again
- overrule the exclusion and ask the governors to reconsider the case
Page last updated: 26 September 2024