Attendance and exclusions
Suspensions and exclusions
A suspension or exclusion happens when a head teacher decides that your child is not allowed to attend school.
This might be:
- for a fixed period of time (suspension), or
- permanent (exclusion).
Only the head teacher or acting head teacher can give a suspension or exclusion.
Students can only be suspended or excluded for behaviour which is a breach of the school's behaviour policy.
The school must follow strict processes for suspensions and exclusions.
You must always be told in writing what the decision is and why the decision has been made.
Exclusions
Pupils must not be excluded for:
- having a disability or special educational needs (SEN) that the school feels it is unable to meet
- not doing well with schoolwork
For a permanent exclusion:
- there must have been a serious breach or persistent breaches of the school's behaviour policy, and
- there must be concerns that allowing your child to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of your child or others in the school.
If your child is permanently excluded, the Council must provide other suitable education. This may be a place in another school, or the Council may make other suitable arrangements.
Support for children with SEND
All schools are inclusive, and the head teacher should consider whether the behaviour or incidents are a direct result of your child or young person's SEND.
If a school has concerns about your child's behaviour, they should speak to you about whether your child is getting the right support.
If your child returns to school
The school / setting should work with you and your child to make sure that their return to school is positive and welcoming.
Some schools will invite you to discuss this, which is also a chance for you to explain any concerns.