Almost all primary school aged children who experience exclusions have a special educational need or disability (SEND), research has found.
Chance UK’s latest research highlights that children with special needs or from poorer backgrounds are disproportionately affected by exclusion and suspension.
Some 70% of pupils excluded or suspended from primary schools were eligible free school meals, with 60% identified as a 'child in need’ by social services. Some 97% are classed as having SEND, according to researchers.
The research also found that 91% of children permanently excluded in primary school did not pass their English and maths GCSEs. Almost two thirds of excluded primary school children were persistently absent by the time they reached Year 10.
