Exclusions

Definition of exclusion

Exclusion means that a student is not allowed to attend school or go on to school premises for a period of time or permanently.

Reasons for exclusion

Your child should only have been excluded:

• in response to serious or persistent breaches of the school's behaviour policy and
• where allowing him or her to remain in school would seriously harm the education and welfare of your child or others in the school

The school will contact you about the exclusion

The headteacher or their nominated representative will let you know immediately (generally by telephone) about the length of the exclusion and the reason for it.

What to do after the exclusion

If your child has been excluded you can make all the difference in getting your child back on track and helping them to be successful.

Work will be set by the school for your child to complete at home during the first five days of the exclusion (it is your responsibility to ensure completed work is returned to the school for marking).

What to do if you disagree with the exclusion

If you disagree with the decision to exclude your child from school your options include:

• requesting an appointment with the headteacher to discuss your concerns and to ask them to reconsider the exclusion
• asking the school governors to review the decision

The governors' discipline committee meeting

The governors' committee which meets to review exclusions is known as the governors' discipline committee and consists of at least three governors. If the exclusion is between six and fifteen days in a term, and the parents request a meeting, then the governors' discipline committee must meet within 50 school days.

After the committee meeting

In cases where there has been a governors' discipline committee meeting, the committee should put their views on the exclusion and the headteacher's exclusion letter on your child's record. If you wish, your views can be added.

What happens if your child remains permanently excluded

Your child will have been receiving full time education from the sixth day of the exclusion. The duty to provide appropriate full time education will remain with the local authority, and a long term assessment of the pupil's needs will take place.

Some children may be ready to return immediately, others would benefit from some time to address their behaviours in a more focused way.

Preventing further exclusions

When your child returns to school you can help prevent further exclusions by keeping in regular contact with your child's class teacher/tutor, and ensuring that you and your child are involved in any future meetings.