Marianne Lagrue, policy manager at Coram Children’s Legal Centre, responds to the annual school exclusion statistics, published by the Department for Education on 9 July.
School exclusions statistics fail to capture the true numbers of children excluded
Today’s school exclusion statistics do not show the full scale of school exclusions – the figures only tell part of the story. As pressure on schools has grown not to exclude children at such high rates, other informal practices are being used instead. Hidden behind the statistics are two key faultlines for schools: the silent epidemic of informal exclusions practices that are pushing thousands of children out of mainstream education, and the absence of a meaningful process for holding schools to account for decisions to exclude.
Managed moves, off-site direction and off-rolling may be masking the true scale of the children removed from English schools, and are doing so without the independent scrutiny that comes with a permanent exclusion.
Children with additional needs at greater risk
Some children are overrepresented in these statistics. While numbers overall have decreased, the proportion of permanently excluded children with a special educational need (SEN) is high and rising: 56% of all permanent exclusions were of a child with a special educational need (up from 50% last year). The proportion of temporary exclusions (suspensions) of children with SEN has also gone up to 50% from 45% last year.
For primary school aged pupils, the figure for permanent exclusions has gone up to 89%, meaning that nine in 10 primary school exclusions are of a child with a special educational need.
Our casework reveals the high numbers of pupils whose SEN is only identified after they have been permanently excluded – often for reasons put down to behaviour that are linked to an unmet need. These children who we represent are, as such, not included in these figures, which are therefore also an underestimate.
In advance of the Government’s inclusivity reforms, pupils with special educational needs are now six times more likely than their peers to be permanently excluded overall. Other groups continue to be overrepresented, including pupils with particular ethnicities who have been subject to stubbornly high rates of exclusion for many years – particularly Black Caribbean and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils. This discrepancy was acknowledged in the 2026 schools white paper, and it remains to be seen whether concrete action will make a difference in reducing this disparity. Published data does not capture where a child has overlapping points of vulnerability.
No meaningful appeals process
Figures revealed in Coram’s May 2026 report Fairness in school exclusions: a roadmap for change showed that only 0.7% of permanent exclusions resulted in a child being offered reinstatement at school following an appeal. This staggeringly low rate raises serious questions about a system which does not have sufficient checks and balances.
This year’s data shows that out of 91,225 children permanently excluded since 2012, only 640 have been offered reinstatement after an appeal before an independent panel – a rate of 0.7%.
New evidence of the need for change
The May 2026 report, which drew on CCLC’s legal casework representing children facing exclusion, shines a light on the cracks in the education system through which tens of thousands of children in England with the greatest need lose out on education every year.
The report calls for clearer national guidance on exclusionary practices operating outside, or on the margins of, the statutory framework, and sets out a series of recommendations to ensure greater fairness, transparency and accountability across the exclusions system.
Marianne Lagrue, Policy Manager at Coram Children’s Legal Centre and co-author of Fairness in School Exclusions, said: “In considering today’s figures we need to remember that behind every exclusion is a child whose education has been disrupted, often at a time when they need support the most. The government has promised meaningful change in understanding which children are informally excluded, but without concrete action to rein in the use of all exclusionary practices, tens of thousands of children will continue to lose out on education every year. The Education for All Bill is an opportunity for the government to build a fair, transparent and accountable system to keep more children in school and ensure that exclusions are a last resort.”
Samantha*, a Coram Voices in Action ambassador, said: “I was effectively excluded in a period of my life when I was dealing with an impossible family situation that my school knew about, and I ended up out of school for more than a year. When I look back now, the effective exclusion I experienced when I was 14 really clouded my view of education. Exclusion follows you, regardless of how it happens. Although I’ve now finished my A-Levels and I didn’t give up on education, no child should be given up on by their school. Schools can and should do better to help children to come to school whatever their circumstances. Why not keep children safe while they are children?”
About us
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, CLAS received 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, Families facing school exclusion can access free support from our School Exclusions Hub, which offers guidance on the law, the options available to challenge an exclusion, and a free legal clinic providing advice and representation. The School Exclusion Hub is shaped by young people with lived experience of school exclusion and includes dedicated resources for young people navigating the exclusion process. More information is available at schoolexclusionshub.org.uk.
*name changed to protect anonymity