The Commission for Young Lives says primary and secondary schools, local authorities and health professionals must do more to reduce exclusions and that all state schools in England should be required to report annually on the number of children who have been excluded or moved off a school’s roll. Here, the commission’s chair sets out the evidence on why permanent exclusions are damaging children’s life chances and what alternative approaches should be used.
The number of children persistently absent from school has risen sharply since the pandemic. Drawing on evidence gathered through Ofsted visits, this session will explore the reasons for this concerning trend, the impact of policy initiatives such as the DfE’s new ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ guidance, and what more can be done to support disengaged learners. This will be an evidence-driven session that also explores how schools are adapting their approach to support pupils.
The Covid-19 pandemic saw most children being taught at home with some saying they found the experience positive in that it removed the anxiety that makes school difficult. In this session, the head of an online academy explains how digital platforms can help some children that struggle with education to engage in learning and why schools are missing a trick by not offering this more widely as part of a hybrid approach.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (choose 1A, 1B or 1C)
How one local authority has implemented a policy of inclusion of all pupils as an alternative to using exclusion as a response to problem behaviour or classroom disruption. This includes adopting flexible policies around where learning takes place and not requiring pupils to be physically present all the time, such as online learning dovetailing with classroom-based lessons for struggling pupils.
Three-quarters of children face long delays to access CAMHS and a recent report called on the DfE to develop evidence-based guidance for schools on how best to implement learning about emotional health. The Schools Wellbeing Partnership and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition are looking at the progress that policymakers have made in implementing a whole-school approach to mental wellbeing and what the new government can do to make sure mental health is at the heart of education settings. The session will outline findings from the project and offer useful advice on what schools can do to build a whole-school approach to mental wellbeing.
Analysis by IPPR and school leadership charity The Difference has found that 32 million days of learning were lost by pupils
of all ages in England in 2022/23, due to a combination of unauthorised absence and exclusions – which rose by a fifth
compared to the previous year. The harm this is causing children’s education and life outcomes has prompted the
organisations to set up the Who’s Losing Learning Solutions Council - a group of education and children’s sector experts
aiming to identify promising practice to tackle the problem. This session will hear about the scale of the challenge and
emerging good practice on ways to reduce exclusions and missed education.
The number of children being elective home educated is on the rise, making it harder for local authorities to monitor their educational progress and general wellbeing. With the government committed to creating a register of home educated children, an expert in attendance assesses what councils can do to engage positively with parents and work collaboratively to ensure children achieve and stay safe.
Drawing on 25 years’ experience of zero exclusions, TCES chief executive Thomas Keaney outlines the practices and processes that have enabled TCES to never permanently exclude a single pupil over the last quarter of a century, despite working with neurodiverse pupils who have previously been excluded or had several (mis)managed moves. This session will show how partnership working between parents, providers and educators is the best way of reducing the epidemic of exclusions and maximizing outcomes for young people. It will also explore how psycho-educational and psycho-social approaches to learning can prevent exclusion and help absent pupils reengage with learning.
Rising rates of school exclusions, persistent unauthorized absence and a growing attainment gap suggest the current education system is failing too many children. Vulnerable groups of learners are worst affected, with recent Durham University research showing a decline in attainment among children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the past decade. In this session, experts will discuss how to create an education system that offers a more flexible learning experience that harnesses the potential of digital technology and delivers better outcomes for children with SEND.