Coram has today responded to the release by the Department for Education (DfE) of the number of suspensions and permanent exclusions from state schools in England during the academic year 2022/23.
Over the course of the year – the latest full school year for which data is available – there were 9,376 permanent exclusions in England, a rise on 6,495 the previous year. There were 786,961 suspensions, up from 578,280 in 2021/22. These are the highest numbers since 2006/07.
188 children aged 5 and under were permanently excluded from school. Gypsy/Roma pupils and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils continue to have the highest rates of suspensions and permanent exclusions, followed by Black Caribbean pupils, White and Black Caribbean pupils, and White and Black African pupils.
50% of all permanently excluded pupils had Special Educational Needs (SEN), with 15% of those having an EHC Plan.
Dr Carol Homden, Coram CEO, said: “We must act urgently to address this alarming increase in children cut off from their education. The figures call for a full review into disproportionality, special educational needs and disability, and the link with non-attendance. Unless this worrying trend is reversed through early support for children and appropriate resourcing for schools and other services, we risk creating a lost generation who have fallen out of the education system that was meant to serve them.”
Sabrina Simpson, CCLC senior solicitor, said: “Families frequently report concerns that race and disability discrimination were the reasons for exclusion. Almost 900 children who are black were permanently excluded and over 67,000 children who are black were suspended. What we see is that children who are excluded often have additional needs that have not been identified or met. When a child is going through an exclusion process, families do not get the advice and support they need to navigate the process.”
Every year, Coram’s Child Law Advice Service (CLAS) provides free legal advice to hundreds of parents, children, and young people who are either at risk of exclusion or have already been excluded. In 2022-2023, CLASreceived more than 500 enquiries about an excluded child or young person. Over a third of the total enquiries involved a pupil with SEND, and 30% concerned exclusion from a London-based school.
In addition, our school exclusions hub explains the law on school exclusion and sets out options for the children concerned. Our work on exclusion is guided by young people who have direct experience of this process. For more information on available advice and support please visit https://schoolexclusionshub.org.uk/.