No Lessons Learnt: Survey of School Exclusions

This is a survey of local education authorities' records on temporary and permanent exclusions highlighting some disturbing facts. The number of exclusions continues to be very high; the highest number of temporary exclusions recorded for one secondary school was 469 for the year, more than two exclusions per school day. Basic record-keeping by local education authorities is inconsistent and incomplete: gender and ethnic monitoring varies enormously between authorities; and over half the authorities had no information about exclusions of children in care. Few authorities had any policies in place to deal with the problems associated with exclusion, although those that did showed a decline in numbers of excluded children. This book includes reports of two Children's Society projects working in schools to reduce exclusions and to create practices which foster the inclusion of all children in schoolife. The survey confirms a severe and growing problem, where the information necessary to form an accurate picture is not in place. The Children's Society makes a series of practical recommendations to tackle and reduce this urgent problem.