Against Exclusions

Last year the number of permanent exclusions from schools in England reached its highest point in nearly a decade, with cuts to funding making it harder for services to make interventions, and an increase in Pupil Referral Unit numbers and ‘off-rolling’ - passing students from school to school, institution to institution. A significant number of these pupils are SEND and BAME (see Racial Justice page), prompting questions around institutional racism and ableism. Meanwhile, students within mainstream education have reported higher levels of stress than ever before, prompting a growing movement of school refusers and self-directed learning environments (see Rights-Based Education page). But with not all students able to afford alternative provision, we are far off from a school system which nurtures and benefits all...