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School exclusion and social exclusion are complex, multi-dimensional and intertwining processes. The disproportionate impact that school exclusion has on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – who have contact with social care, are living in poverty, and come from certain ethnic minority backgrounds – is a longstanding disgrace of the English education system. As Luke Billingham writes in his Excluded Lives , adversity not only precedes school exclusion but is almost always exacerbated by it. In this blog post I draw on findings from the ESRC-funded Excluded Lives , ‘The Political Economies of School Exclusion and their Consequences’, and insights from a roundtable event to propose that to tackle rising rates of school exclusion in England, policymakers and partners must create a system that is ‘equitable by design’ and sustained through shared responsibility.

Since 2019, the research team has investigated disparities in rates of school exclusion across the UK – with much higher rates of suspension and permanent exclusion recorded in England – and the institutional processes that lead to different types of exclusion (official and ‘hidden’), along with the impact of exclusion on young people, their families and professionals. Our project was a home international comparison, which included secondary data analysis, as well as primary data collection through survey, interview and focus group methods with local authority (LA), school and alternative provision practitioners, pupils and parents/carers.

Analysis of the interview data identified that the following system-level factors may be driving higher rates of school exclusion in England:

• national policy prioritising school performance and behaviour in ways which��can disincentivise inclusive practice
• high-stakes accountability systems leading to perverse incentives to exclude
• narrowing to a focus on an academic curriculum
• fragmentation of the education system and an unbalanced distribution of power and accountability
• increased need, under-resourcing of key services, and insufficient training and knowledge
• limited early intervention
• siloed working.

‘We need a shared vision for an education system that is “equitable by design”.’

Following completion of the project, we brought together professional partners for a roundtable event to discuss emerging recommendations for policy and practice. We collectively concluded that we need a shared vision for an education system that is ‘equitable by design.’ The findings from our research, and insights from the roundtable discussion, suggest that the following four things matter if we are to achieve this goal.

1. Policy and language matter

In developing policy, policymakers must be alert to unintended consequences, avoid policy contradictions, and move beyond dualistic thinking to ‘get the balance right’ between the focus on children’s academic achievement and wellbeing (Tawell et al., 2023). Policymakers and researchers must adopt collaborative, partnership-based approaches to developing policy and practice recommendations, and a shared language for ‘equity by design’.

2. Structures matter
   Policymakers and partners must redesign the structures that currently impede inclusion, including narrow curriculum and assessment systems and inspection frameworks, and redistribute and redirect resources through more equitable and targeted funding, including for SEND and early intervention.
3. Collaboration matters

Building equitable systems requires shared responsibility and collaborative infrastructure models that promote joined-up working between wider services, schools and families. Examples of good practice reported in our project included co-located support, contextual understandings of need, and strong school–community relationships. Future infrastructure models could involve service co-location and funding (such as education, health, social care, youth justice) to provide holistic support, and the creation of a new ‘middle tier’ with clearly articulated roles and responsibilities for different partners including LAs, academy trusts and other services.

4. Culture matters

Fostering belonging and safety must lie at the heart of our shared vision for ‘equity by design’. Shifting focus from ‘the right to exclude’ to ‘the right for all to be safe’, and moving from punitive and exclusionary to relational and inclusive practices, are key to achieving this, as is inclusive leadership, equality, diversity and inclusion training for all practitioners, and increased support for teachers and schools.

What should the Labour government do?

In July 2024, the Minister for Early Education, Stephen Morgan, expressed strong concern about the continuing rise of school exclusion rates in England, and the current education system failing to meet the needs of all children (Whittaker, 2024). The Labour government must address the problem of school exclusion head on, and work collaboratively and progressively towards creating a system that is ‘equitable by design’, and built on the principle that these are ‘our children, our responsibility’.

References

Tawell, A., Emery, H., Daniels, H., Thompson, I., & Porter, J. (2020). Seeking a balance: Conversations with policy makers and influencers about intervening upstream to prevent school exclusions in the context of Covid-19 and beyond. Department of Education, University of Oxford.

Whittaker, F. (2024, July 18). Exclusions higher than pre-Covid as suspensions rise again. Schools Week.

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