A recent report by the London charity, Chance UK, published some very startling statistics regarding the number of children suspended or permanently excluded from primary school. The report highlighted that out of the 22,000 children aged six years and under who were either suspended or permanently excluded, 97% of these had SEND. This highlights that the education of our most vulnerable children is being significantly disrupted, making it much harder for those children to reach their full potential.

Key findings

The full research-based report from Chance UK published the following data:

• 22,000 children aged six years and under were excluded or suspended 
• 97% of those excluded at primary school had a special educational need (SEND)
• Over 90% of children excluded from primary school don’t achieve a Grade 4 or above in English and Maths
• 67% of those pupils with an exclusion or suspension were also on free school meals
• 59% of those with an exclusion or suspension were identified as ‘Child in Need’ 
• 69% of children excluded in primary school received at least one suspension in secondary school compared to 14% for those not excluded in primary school

The impact of being suspended or permanently excluded 

Many children with SEND have specific learning needs, which can make learning and meeting expected levels of development more challenging. Targeted intervention and support from a child’s school can have a positive impact on their opportunities to access learning. However, if children are suspended or permanently excluded, they are missing valuable learning opportunities which can increase their attainment gap. It is widely acknowledged that poor academic attainment can have a far-reaching impact on a child. This can include poor mental health and wellbeing, an increase in behavioral difficulties, and difficulties in establishing and maintaining relationships. All these difficulties experienced during childhood can continue into adulthood, resulting in higher levels of unemployment, and an increase in the risk of engaging in criminal activities and spending time in prison. The younger we set the ‘wheels in motion’ for poor outcomes by disrupting a child’s education through suspension and permanent exclusion, the more difficult it will be to reduce the extent of the impact it has in their adulthood. 

Why children are suspended or permanently excluded

The National Education Union (2023) highlighted that children with Autism are the most likely group of students to be suspended or permanently excluded due to unmet additional needs or an unsuitable educational placement. The recent report from Chance UK reiterated these findings, by stating that the main type of special educational needs of children who experienced suspension or permanent exclusion have Autism or social, emotional and mental health needs. A further reason is due to continued disrupted behaviour and physical harm toward others. It is also important to raise the concern that children with Autism may not always be identified/diagnosed in primary school, so there could potentially be an even higher number of children with autism who have experienced suspension or permanent exclusion but have not been diagnosed yet. The disruptive behaviour and social, emotional and mental health needs highlighted as other reasons why young children are permanently excluded could indicate an underlying neurodivergence that has not been identified. 

How can practitioners help?

From my own professional and personal experience, my biggest recommendation to practitioners is to increase their knowledge and skill set regarding working with and supporting young children with SEND. The data published by the National Education Union (2023) and Chance UK (2024) identifies that young children with autism are the most likely group to be suspended or permanently excluded. Therefore, I advocate that more training around autism and the many ways in which it can be presented in young children needs to be made available to practitioners. This will enable practitioners to develop their knowledge and skill set, which will enable them to meet their specific needs more effectively. 

I often dispute the reason that schools are unable to meet the SEND needs of young children, apart from a small minority, as I strongly advocate that all schools can meet a child’s needs. If practitioners can identify and understand children’s SEND needs, then they can more effectively respond to them. As previously highlighted in this article, the predominant reason that children are suspended and permanently excluded from schools is due to disruptive behaviour and/or physically harming others. However, I feel strongly that if a child’s behaviour is understood and contextualised, with the appropriate support implemented, then disruptive behaviour and the potential risks of causing physical harm to others can be reduced. 

I do acknowledge that this can be a very challenging endeavour in the current political and economic climate. Inadequate government funding and a recruitment crisis in education are making the challenge of supporting and meeting the needs of children with SEND more difficult.  However, as these issues are not going to be resolved quickly, I encourage all practitioners to become more creative and innovative in their approach to meeting the needs of children with SEND. Regardless of staffing and financial shortfalls, we all have a basic duty of care and we all want to do the best we possibly can for all children. Wherever possible and practical, make links with other practitioners in your local area to share ideas, best practices, effective strategies and resources. Thanks to technology you can also make links with other schools nationally, or even worldwide, and continue the culture of supporting each other and enhancing your practice. 

Conclusion

The data clearly shows that children with SEND are being disproportionately suspended and permanently excluded from primary school. It is shocking that children aged six years and under are being suspended or permanently excluded from school. I want to take a moment and reflect on the fact that these children are aged six years and under - barely off the starting blocks of their educational journey. By the age of six years old, an overwhelming number of children are missing out on their education and in many cases being labelled as ‘uneducatable’ under the guise that a school is unable to meet their special educational needs. We are giving up on our youngest children and letting them fall behind in their learning or, for many of these children, allowing them to fall out of education all together. Every child has a right to an education. However, if schools cannot meet the special educational needs of young children, who can? And more importantly, who will?