Pupil exclusion is ‘trigger point’ for criminal exploitation

EXCLUSIONS from primary school should be banned by 2026, a former children’s commissioner has said.

Anne Longfield has called for the practice to be ended in the next four years, with schools “supported with the necessary resources to achieve this”.

Her report from the Commission on Young Lives says schools should report how many pupils have been excluded or moved from their rolls every year.

It notes that vulnerable pupils can be “viewed as a problem that can be pushed onto someone else to deal with”, as some schools use managed moves, off-rolling or exclusions, or encourage “home education”.

The report said a “prominent strand of opinion” does not accept a link between exclusion and crime, but youth workers, parents and children had said how exclusion was a “trigger point” where pupils became more vulnerable to criminal or sexual exploitation or involvement in county lines.

Ms Longfield said: “Look behind the headlines of the tragic deaths, acts of serious violence and criminal exploitation of our young people over recent years and so often you see a pattern of children disengaging and falling out of school and into harm.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “While permanent exclusion for young children is rare, suspension and exclusion are necessary and essential behaviour management tools.

“We are working to understand and tackle avoidable absence through the attendance alliance, and the Alternative Provision and SAFE taskforces are providing direct, targeted support to vulnerable pupils at risk of crime or exploitation, to keep them engaged in education.”