‘Factors associated with high and low levels of school exclusions: comparing the English and wider UK experience’

ABSTRACT

This article draws on findings from the first cross-national study of school exclusions in the four jurisdictions of the UK. It sketches factors associated with the past research with reductions in exclusions. It then reports interview data gathered in England in 2018 from five specialist officers working in two Local Authorities and a senior officer working for a national voluntary organisation. The officers describe good practice but also national, local and school level developments contributing to a deteriorating situation. These developments include unhelpful government guidance and regulations; school accountability frameworks affecting curriculum and leading to the neglect of Special Educational Needs; loss of Local Authority powers and funding resulting in reductions in support services. Data gathered for this study in other UK jurisdictions suggests that in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and to a lesser extent in Wales, a practice that avoids school exclusions has persisted more than in England.

KEYWORDS:

• School exclusion
• behaviour
• special educational needs
• government policy

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the John Fell Fund, University of Oxford for financial support for this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The term ‘non-permanent exclusion’ includes ‘fixed period’ exclusions (England) ‘fixed term’ exclusions (Wales), ‘temporary exclusions’ (Scotland) and ‘suspensions’ (N Ireland).

2. Further details of how government statistics have been used to allow valid cross-UK comparisons are given in McCluskey et al. (forthcoming) and Cole (2019).

3. Scotland uses the term ‘removal from register’ and N. Ireland the term ‘expulsion’ in place of ‘permanent exclusion’.

4. The ‘Excluded Lives Research Group’ is an inter-disciplinary collaboration bringing together expertise at Oxford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Queen’s Belfast, London School of Economics and Reading universities as well as from voluntary organisations.

5. At the time of writing, funding is being sought for this larger project.

6. A request for an interview with an official at the Department for Education, London, was declined. Two other interviewees withdrew.

7. Following Gray, Miller and Noakes’ (1994) and Ofsted (2005) precedent, the term ‘pupils presenting challenging behaviour’ encompasses children of all abilities not just those with severe learning disabilities whose behaviour is difficult to manage.

8. All subsequent page numbers refer to Cole (2018) Part 1: England.

9. In September 2014 Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans started to replace Statements of Special Educational Needs.’

10. In DFE (2015), ‘SEMH’ replaced ‘Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties’ (BESD) and the earlier term ‘EBD’. It is equivalent to the Scottish term ‘Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties’ (SEBD).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ted Cole

Ted Cole is a consultant to the Department of Education, University of Oxford.

Gillean McCluskey

Gillean McCluskey is a senior lecturer at the Moray House School of Education, University of Edinburgh.

Harry Daniels

Harry Daniels is Professor of Education at the University of Oxford.

Ian Thompson

Ian Thompson is Associate Professor of English Education at the University of Oxford.

Alice Tawell

Alice Tawell is a doctoral student and researcher at the University of Oxford.