On Monday 18 January 2021, there will be an Opposition Day Debate on access to remote education and the quality of free school meals. This landing page highlights some of the available data and also provides links to existing Library and other briefings on these issues.
Documents to download
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School Exclusions (288 KB, PDF)
This pack sets out current policy on school exclusions, statistical information, recent parliamentary proceedings, and related research and news. It mostly relates to England, but also includes some statistical and other information on Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Schools in England can exclude pupils on a temporary or permanent basis, but only for disciplinary reasons.
In 2017/18, England’s permanent exclusion rate was 0.10 per cent – equivalent to 10 per 10,000 pupils. The rate increased between 2012/13 (0.06 per cent) and 2017/18 (0.10 per cent). The most common reason for permanent exclusion in 2017/18 was physical assault against another pupil.
There have been a number of reviews and reports relating to school exclusion in recent years. These include:
- Edward Timpson’s review, published in May 2019 – to which the then-Government simulataneously published a response. This promised that schools would be made accountable for the outcomes of pupils they permanently excluded.
- The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime’s report on school exclusions, published in October 2019.
The 2019 Government has said that it has an “ambitious programme of action on behaviour, exclusion and alternative provision”.
Documents to download
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School Exclusions (288 KB, PDF)
Related posts
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This briefing paper looks at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on schools and pupils. It largely focuses on England, and has been updated following the Prime Minister's January 2021 announcement that physical attendance at school would be restricted for most pupils.
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The main recent policy developments regarding school meals in England, including the revised school food standards and provision of free school meals.