A report into illegal exclusions in England and Wales
Contact a Family has published Falling Through The Net, a survey into the illegal exclusion of disabled children from schools and the impact on families. The survey questioned the affected families of 400 children with disabilities or additional needs. Key findings from the report include:
- 53% of families questioned have been asked to collect their child during the school day because there are not enough staff available to support them
- 56% of families have be told by the school that their child cannot take part in a class activity/ trip because it is unsuitable for them
- 22% are illegally excluded every week
- 15% are excluded every day
The charity has also made several recommendations as part of the report. These include that schools must following statutory procedure whenever exclusions are necessary to ensure decisions are fair and lawful, alongside taking early action to provide support to children who are frequently excluded so the crisis can be avoided. The report also recommends greater co-operation between schools, teachers and parents to understand a child's condition and action by Ofsted to identify unlawful practice and award 'inadequate' grading to schools who illegally exclude SEN children repeatedly.