Internal exclusions
Your child may be removed from class but not the school premises. Support and supervision should be provided while they continue with their work. Some schools use seclusion rooms or isolation booths for children who have been disruptive. The school does not need to inform the parents of this. Schools should ensure that seclusion or isolation should only be used where necessary and that the child’s health and safety is safeguarded with time being given for meal and toilet breaks.
Informal Exclusions
An ‘informal’ exclusion involves your child being sent off the school premises, without this being officially recorded as an exclusion (e.g. where your child is sent home for a ‘cooling off’ period). It is unlawful for a child to be informally excluded from school, even where the child’s parent/s or carer/s agree to the exclusion. If a parent believes that their child has been unlawfully excluded, they should, as a first course of action, pursue an internal complaint within the school.
Fixed term exclusions
A pupil can be excluded for one or more fixed periods of time which must not exceed 45 school days in any one year. The DfE Exclusions Guidance (September 2017) states that “the law does not allow for extending a fixed period exclusion or ‘converting’ a fixed period exclusion into a permanent exclusion. In exceptional cases, usually where further evidence has come to light, a further fixed period exclusion may be issued to begin immediately after the first fixed period ends; or a permanent exclusion may be issued to begin immediately after the end of the fixed period.”
The child should not return to school between these periods. This does mean that the school could exclude for a fixed period while ‘investigation is underway’ and decide to permanently exclude or extend the fixed term exclusion if new evidence is provided to them during the investigation period.
If the child is excluded for a further fixed period, or is permanently excluded following the original exclusion, the head teacher must issue a new exclusion notice to parents and notify them of the new exclusion without delay.
Parents must be informed in writing of the period of the exclusion and the reasons for it. They must also be informed of their right to make representations to the Governing Body and how to do this. Parents may be accompanied by a friend or representative to these meetings.
Managed moves
These enable a pupil to make a fresh start at a new school. This is a voluntary agreement between schools and parents/carers for the pupil to change school under controlled circumstances and can only be done with the consent of parents/carers. Parents should not be pressured into making a managed move.
Permanent exclusions
This involves the child being removed from the school roll, the parent has a right to make representations to the schools governing body and the Headteacher may not remove the child from the school register until the outcome of the governors meeting is known. Parents must be informed in writing of the decision to permanently exclude the pupil. If the pupil is excluded there is the right to appeal to the Independent Review panel. However, the governing body may decide to reinstate the pupil.