Avoiding Exclusion

All schools have rules. These help everyone at the school stay safe and learn.

If pupils break these rules they get in trouble. Most people only break rules occasionally, and some never break rules at all.

Pupils who break rules persistently (again and again) disrupt learning and may need to be excluded.

Crucial: Children who are excluded from school can get support to help with problems at home. There is support available, no matter what the problem is. Start by talking to any teacher or your school health nurse.

What happens if you get excluded?

Students who are excluded are given work to do at home and support to improve their behaviour.

Crucial: Schools only exclude pupils as a last resort. Find out all about exclusions on the Oxfordshire County Council Website.

Why you should avoid being excluded

Pupils are only excluded as a last resort. This is because it is safer for children to stay in learning. It also supports them to gain qualifications and avoid getting into trouble.

If your school feels you are at risk of being excluded, you will be warned, and given support to change and improve.

Crucial: If you are struggling to control your anger or finding school stressful, help is available from all sorts of places. Your school health nurse can help with problems and stresses with friends and feelings, and your teachers can help with learning.

If you are excluded

If you are excluded, support makes sure you keep learning. Your school will set work to make sure you do not fall behind. You will always be excluded for as short a time as possible.

If you are permanently excluded, then Oxfordshire offers many alternative ways to learn.

Crucial: Your parents can also ask for your exclusion to be reviewed. Find out how.

What about changing schools?

Young people and their parents may wonder if moving to another school will improve difficulties. But studies show that changing schools may not help.

It takes time to make new friends and get to know new staff
Being out of school for a time means you need to catch up on work
Getting used to a new place is often stressful

Young people who move schools are at risk of doing worse in their learning and exams. The more moves, the higher the risk. Young people who choose to stay and solve any problems at the same school usually do better.

Instant expert: Find out about starting or changing schools in Oxfordshire.

Being excluded post-16

Young people over 16 are no longer of compulsory school age. But you will still need to stay in learning until you are 18. This means you should continue doing learning like A levels, or other courses at schools or colleges, or an apprenticeship.

If you are permanently excluded, you will be given information about other learning options. Your place of learning will also notify the local authority that you are no longer learning with them. But this can take time, so you always register your details with the local authority.

The local authority provides support to help young people who are NEET (not in employment, education or training) reconnect with learning.

They can also help address problems and barriers, like being a young parent, a young carer, or having difficulties with drug or alcohol use (yours or someone else's).

Encouraged to drop out of learning?

All children have the right to stay in education until age 18.

Crucial: If someone is encouraging, persuading or forcing you to leave education early or truant (stay away from classes) then this is abuse. Find out more about Domestic Abuse (someone at home hurting or controlling you), Child Sexual Exploitation (adults or other young people grooming children for sexual abuse) and Criminal Exploitation (where children are groomed to commit crimes like dealing drugs or carrying or storing stolen goods).