Girls from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are three times as likely to be excluded from school than white girls, figures show.
They are also being disproportionately suspended by schools, according to analysis carried out by the charity Agenda Alliance and based on figures for the 2021/22 academic year.
Girls from Irish traveller communities are being suspended at double the rate of white British girls, while Gypsy and Roma girls are more than three times as likely to be suspended.
Children from these communities retaliating to incidents of racism and bullying at school is a factor in high rates of suspensions and exclusions they are experiencing, according to Traveller Movement chair Pauline Anderson.
