The Urgent Need to Reduce Pupil Exclusions

In 2023, West Berkshire was found to have the highest school exclusion rate in the country. In just one term, 1,263 pupils were suspended, and 11 were permanently excluded.

While I’m pleased to say that we are no longer topping this table, exclusions remain a serious issue in the constituency. Just last month, it was reported that a primary school pupil was excluded for drug or alcohol use – a reason which accounts for 5% of all school suspensions nationally in 2024.

It is easy to point the finger at parents when stories like this emerge. But bad behaviour is often a visible symptom of a deeper problem. It is no coincidence that exclusion rates have risen nationally at the same time as thousands of pupils with identified needs struggle to access specialist support and millions of families face increasing financial hardship.

I recently asked the Secretary of State for Education how her department plans to help tackle exclusion rates. Their £1.5 billion investment into Attendance and Behaviour Hubs is a sign that the issue is being taken seriously. However, reducing exclusions in the long term requires a joined-up approach that goes beyond managing surface-level symptoms. Unless we understand and address the reasons behind challenging behaviour, we cannot expect exclusion rates to fall.

The Government’s new Schools and SEND White Paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, does at least acknowledge the need to reduce exclusions, but the solutions it puts forward are far from straightforward. While the paper promises a new National Inclusion Standard and a Pupil Engagement Framework, these remain long‑term ambitions without clarity on how they will be delivered in classrooms already stretched by rising pupil need and shrinking specialist capacity.

The headline attendance target of 94% by 2028/29 sits alongside wider behaviour reforms, yet the White Paper ultimately leans on structural changes and future frameworks rather than addressing the immediate drivers of exclusion such as unmet SEND needs, long waiting times for support, and widening disadvantage. In practice, schools are being asked to deliver more with the same limited tools. Until these systemic pressures are tackled head‑on, exclusion rates are unlikely to fall in any meaningful way.

We need to ensure that all pupils have access to the financial, pastoral, and educational support they need, so we can give every child the opportunity they deserve to thrive.