15. My child is being excluded from school. What are our rights?
Your child may be excluded from school for a fixed number of days or permanently.
The school must state in writing why they are excluding him or her. If the school hasn’t done so, contact them immediately and ask for the reasons. It is important to keep a copy of all correspondence with the school.
If you disagree with the reasons for exclusion, you have the right to appeal against it. To do this you should write to the school’s governors as soon as possible stating why you want to appeal against the exclusion. You may not have the right to appeal against some short-term exclusions.
You may want to appeal against the exclusion if you think that:
- your child did not do what they have been accused of;
- there is no real evidence that your child committed the offence;
- the offence that your child is accused of is not serious enough to justify the exclusion;
- your child was provoked; or
- your child has been singled out for punishment unfairly.
More than one of these reasons may apply to your child’s case.
If the appeal to the school governors is not successful, you may have a further right of appeal.
If you need help dealing with your child’s exclusion or any other aspect of education, we recommend that you speak to one of our education advisers on 0845 345 4 345 for specialist advice. Telephone specialist advice is only available if you qualify for legal aid.