United Kingdom
School exclusions
Key points
- Around 10,000 pupils are permanently excluded from school each year.
- The number of permanent exclusions has remained broadly unchanged over the last seven years, after falling sharply in the late 1990s.
- Four-fifths of permanent exclusions are boys.
- Black Caribbean pupils are three times as likely to be excluded from school as White pupils. By contrast, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian children are all less likely to be excluded from school than White pupils.
- The rate of permanent exclusion is much lower in Scotland than elsewhere: 4 per 10,000 pupils each year compared to more 8-13 elsewhere.
Graph 1: Over time (numbers)
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Graph 2: Over time (proportions)
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Graph 3: By ethnic group
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Graph 4: By region
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View an interactive map at local authority level (England upper tier authorities only; opens in a new window).
Download a spreadsheet with the local authority statistics
Why this indicator was originally chosen
Permanent school exclusions have been the focus of public attention in the last few years, with the Government setting new targets to keep levels under control. Second chances: exclusion From school and equality of opportunity, New Policy Institute, 1998. A high proportion of children excluded from school, particularly those at secondary level, do not return to mainstream education. Note that young people in care are estimated to make up a third of all secondary school exclusions and two-thirds of all primary school exclusions: Smith, R., No lessons learnt, The Children's Society, 1998.
Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows the number of pupils permanently excluded from primary, secondary and special schools, with the data shown separately for boys and girls. The data relates to Great Britain. A gender breakdown is not available for Scotland, so these numbers have been estimated by assuming that the gender split is the same as in England and Wales.
The second graph shows the number of pupils permanently excluded from primary, secondary and special schools as a proportion of all pupils, with the data shown separately for boys and girls. The data relates to England only.
The third graph shows, for the latest year, how the rate of permanent exclusions varies for children from different ethnic backgrounds. The data relates to England only.
The fourth graph shows, for the latest year, how the rate of permanent exclusions varies by region. Note that the data is for 2006/07, except for Wales (where it is for 2005/06).
The data is for all maintained primary and secondary schools plus both maintained and non-maintained special schools.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: medium. Exclusions are susceptible to administrative procedures; for example, the officially recorded numbers may well under-represent the true number of exclusions if parents are persuaded to withdraw their child rather than leave the school to exclude them.
Relevant 2007 Public Service Agreements
None directly relevant.
Relevant government policies
The numbers
Graphs 1 and 2
| Year | Thousands | Percent | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | England | |||||
| Boys | Girls | Total | Boys | Girls | Total | |
| 1995/96 | 11.0 | 2.2 | 13.2 | 0.14% | 0.03% | 0.17% |
| 1996/97 | 11.0 | 2.3 | 13.2 | 0.14% | 0.03% | 0.17% |
| 1997/98 | 10.8 | 2.1 | 12.9 | 0.13% | 0.03% | 0.16% |
| 1998/99 | 9.3 | 1.9 | 11.2 | 0.11% | 0.02% | 0.14% |
| 1999/00 | 7.6 | 1.4 | 9.0 | 0.09% | 0.02% | 0.11% |
| 2000/01 | 8.2 | 1.7 | 9.9 | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.12% |
| 2001/02 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 10.4 | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.12% |
| 2002/03 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 10.1 | 0.10% | 0.02% | 0.12% |
| 2003/04 | 8.5 | 2.1 | 10.6 | 0.10% | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| 2004/05 | 8.2 | 2.1 | 10.3 | 0.10% | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| 2005/06 | 8.0 | 2.1 | 10.0 | 0.10% | 0.03% | 0.12% |
| 2006/07 | 7.4 | 2.0 | 9.3 | 0.09% | 0.02% | 0.12% |
Graph 3
| Per 10,000 pupils | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic group | 1997 /98 | 1998 /99 | 1999 /00 | 2000 /01 | 2001 /02 | 2002 /03 | 2003 /04 | 2004 /05 | 2005 /06 | 2006/07 |
| Bangladeshi | 13 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Black African | 29 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 13 |
| Black Caribbean | 76 | 58 | 46 | 38 | 42 | 37 | 41 | 39 | 41 | 38 |
| Indian | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Pakistani | 9 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| White | 17 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Graph 4
| Per 10,000 pupils | |
|---|---|
| East | 10 |
| East Midlands | 13 |
| London | 13 |
| North East | 11 |
| North West | 12 |
| Scotland | 4 |
| South East | 12 |
| South West | 11 |
| Wales | 10 |
| West Midlands | 13 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9 |