Trust inspection will consider how trusts drive educational quality, and how they contribute to an inclusive, collaborative system. Officials in the department and Ofsted are working together, and with the sector, to ensure the system works well and delivers the benefit that we expect including addressing the needs of pupils with special educational needs.

Academy trusts must have regard to the statutory Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance. The guidance is clear that, where a pupil is permanently excluded, and where a suspension would take the pupil’s total number of suspended school days above 15 in a term, or where the pupil would miss a public examination or national curriculum test, the governing body must consider and decide on the pupil’s reinstatement within 15 school days of receiving notice of the exclusion.

Academy trusts must comply with their legal and contractual obligations. Where a failure amounts to a breach of the relevant funding agreement, the department may use the intervention powers available under that agreement. Depending on the circumstances and the precise terms of the trust’s funding agreements, this may include requiring remedial action, issuing a termination warning notice and, ultimately, terminating the agreement.

Statistics on permanent exclusions by local authority are published in the department’s suspension and permanent exclusions statistical release, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2024-25.

This information has been available since 9 July 2026. Data can be accessed using the publication’s ‘Create table’ function. The relevant table produced using this function is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/a3216df4-c96d-477a-2e38-08df07a6df71.

The government is committed to ensuring that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), can thrive in mainstream education. High standards of behaviour are essential for creating calm, safe and supportive classrooms, and all pupils should be supported to meet those expectations.

That is why we are delivering a comprehensive programme of behaviour and attendance support, including our Attendance and Behaviour Hubs, which will work with schools to help build strong, inclusive school cultures and spread effective practice across the system.

We are also reforming the SEND system to ensure children and young people receive the right support at the earliest opportunity, helping to prevent needs from escalating and supporting more pupils to remain engaged in education. This is backed by an additional £4 billion investment over three years, including funding for specialist expertise in communities, earlier intervention in schools, and workforce training.

Alongside this, we remain committed to reforming the school exclusion system. We will consult on measures including an internal suspension framework, the introduction of Reintegration Support Partnerships, and a requirement for schools to provide schoolwork during the first five days of an exclusion.

We recognise the disproportionate impact repeated, preventable exclusion can have on pupils’ education and life chances. The findings published by ADR UK in April 2026 underline the importance of tackling repeat suspensions and ensuring vulnerable pupils receive the support they need to remain engaged in education.

To reduce lost learning, improve behaviour and strengthen inclusion, the Every Child Achieving and Thriving Schools White Paper, published February 2026, committed to reforming the exclusion system. We will consult on a new national framework for internal suspension, the introduction of Reintegration Support Partnerships and a requirement for schools to set schoolwork during the first five days of exclusion.

Statistics on suspensions by local authority by full academic year can be found in the following publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This has been available since 10 July 2025.

Inclusion bases will have specialisms, providing tailored and expert teaching and support for specific groups of children. We know there are lots of great examples of mainstream schools delivering specialist provision through inclusion bases, enabling children to benefit and remain part of mainstream education and wider school life.

Support bases, commissioned by individual settings and trusts will deliver ‘targeted plus’ support, whilst specialist bases, commissioned by the local authority, will deliver ‘specialist’ support.

We will shortly be publishing guidance to help mainstream settings implement high quality inclusion bases, including the importance of supporting integration.

Ofsted consider published destinations data as part of the inspection methodology when they gather inspection evidence to determine grades. The current data collection would not enable destination outcomes to be tracked in this way. Instead, inspectors will explore the extent to which inclusion bases are used in the best interests of pupils and improving their outcomes, as set out in school inspection operating guide for inspectors.

The department is clear that no teacher should feel unsafe or be subjected to violence in the workplace, and schools should take swift and robust action where such incidents occur. The Behaviour in Schools guidance states all schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy that sets out effective strategies to promote good behaviour.

We trust headteachers to use their professional judgement when deciding whether to exclude a pupil, including taking into account any risks posed to staff and other pupils. This provides schools with the flexibility and authority needed to act promptly and proportionately to maintain safe environments.

More broadly, our Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) Attendance and Behaviour Hubs are supporting schools with the greatest need across the country to strengthen behaviour practice and build calm, safe and inclusive environments for all.

The department regularly monitors trends in suspension and permanent exclusion rates for various pupil groups and undertakes regular reviews of the evidence concerning the long-term outcomes of pupils who have experienced a suspension or permanent exclusion. We are aware that there is an association with adverse life outcomes for pupils who have been excluded and are clear that any decision taken to exclude must be lawful, reasonable and fair.

In all cases, school leaders should consider early intervention strategies and multi-agency assessments to address the underlying causes or contributing factors towards a pupil’s disruptive behaviour before issuing an exclusion.

The department does not plan to end or ban the use of school exclusions, as it remains necessary in the most serious cases to maintain calm and safe school environments.

The Race Equality Unit will work with key stakeholder groups to interrogate the evidence on what drives disparities in school exclusions between different ethnic groups.

The department monitors trends in suspensions regularly through our published statistical releases. The decision to exclude a pupil rightly lies with headteachers, and we are clear that exclusion may be necessary in the most serious cases to maintain safe, calm classrooms.

Compliance with the statutory suspension and permanent exclusion guidance is monitored through Ofsted inspection. Ofsted considers the use of exclusions as part of its evaluation of behaviour, including the rates, patterns and reasons for exclusion, and any differences between groups of pupils.

We are also taking forward measures to improve oversight and transparency, including enhanced monitoring of exclusions and pupil movement, and improved data‑sharing with Ofsted to support inspection.

We have published a guide on behaviour and exclusions for parents, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-guide-for-parents/a-guide-for-parents-on-school-behaviour-and-exclusion. This explains their right to make representations to the governing board and request a review where they consider a suspension to be disproportionate or inconsistent with the guidance.

The department monitors trends in suspensions regularly through our published statistical releases. The decision to exclude a pupil rightly lies with headteachers, and we are clear that exclusion may be necessary in the most serious cases to maintain safe, calm classrooms.

Compliance with the statutory suspension and permanent exclusion guidance is monitored through Ofsted inspection. Ofsted considers the use of exclusions as part of its evaluation of behaviour, including the rates, patterns and reasons for exclusion, and any differences between groups of pupils.

We are also taking forward measures to improve oversight and transparency, including enhanced monitoring of exclusions and pupil movement, and improved data‑sharing with Ofsted to support inspection.

We have published a guide on behaviour and exclusions for parents, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusions-guide-for-parents/a-guide-for-parents-on-school-behaviour-and-exclusion. This explains their right to make representations to the governing board and request a review where they consider a suspension to be disproportionate or inconsistent with the guidance.

The department’s School Complaints Compliance Unit considers complaints about exclusions including pupil suspensions in relation to both academies and local authority maintained schools. Complaints are categorised as exclusions complaints on our case management system. Data on complaints logged as exclusion complaints for the last five academic years is in the table below:

*Complaints received and closed up to and including 31 March 2026.

Statistics on suspensions, by academic year and school type, is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This has been available since 10 July 2025.

The department publishes termly and annual statistics on suspension and permanent exclusions, including the reasons why pupils are suspended. The latest full academic year release, covering 2023/24, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This data sets out national patterns and drivers of suspension and informs the department’s ongoing approach to behaviour and exclusion policy.

The department publishes termly and annual statistics on suspension and permanent exclusions, including the reasons why pupils are suspended. The latest full academic year release, covering 2023/24, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24. This data sets out national patterns and drivers of suspension and informs the department’s ongoing approach to behaviour and exclusion policy.