Positive Approaches to Reducing School Exclusions

In an ideal world, school exclusions would be a rare occurrence. Sadly, however, they are now an integral part of everyday life in schools nationwide, and the situation shows little sign of improvement.

Statistics around school exclusions

The term ‘exclusion’ encompasses both fixed-term and permanent exclusions. According to recent data from the DfE, there were over 3000 permanent exclusions during the 2022/2023 autumn term in England – up from 2097 in the previous year. During the same period, suspensions also rose, with almost a quarter of a million students suspended from their place of education for varying lengths of time.

Permanent exclusions were recorded across all settings, including primary, secondary, and special schools; however, the overwhelming majority (86%) involved secondary school pupils, and the most cited reason for exclusion was ‘persistent disruptive behaviour’.

The far-reaching impact of school exclusions

The sheer volume of – and increase in – school exclusions is cause for concern and raises serious questions around the short- and long-term impact of such measures on not only the individuals directly involved, but also on schools, families, and society as a whole.

The 2019 Timpson Review of School Exclusion reported that a mere 7% of children and young people who have, at one time or another, been permanently excluded from school achieved good passes at GCSE in English and Maths. These qualifications are essential for successfully navigating next steps in life, within and beyond education. Such a low rate of attainment for these students is gravely worrying and is likely to adversely affect their life chances.

Many within this category risk becoming disenfranchised and can quickly fall through cracks in the system. For example, the same report highlighted a correlation between school exclusion and criminal activity. Of course, the picture is much more complex than that, and there are many other factors that could make an individual vulnerable to criminality, but we need to be alert to all the potential consequences of school exclusions.

And it’s not just the individuals themselves who may suffer: parents and carers of individuals who have been excluded can experience a deep-rooted sense of shame and stigma, leaving them feeling helpless and isolated within their communities.

Positive approaches to reducing school exclusions

Given the extensive impact of school exclusions, it’s in our interests to identify and address the underlying factors and do everything in our power to direct children and young people along a different path; one that equips them with the tools they need to engage positively with school life, and achieve their full potential – socially, academically, and emotionally.

So, what practical steps can we take to make sure we adopt a positive approach to reducing school exclusions?

1: Understand behaviour as communication

It can be helpful for us to take a step back and think about all behaviour as a form of communication. If we have a child in our class who is engaging in behaviours which are concerning, we can try to look beyond the immediate behaviour, to explore why it is happening.