School exclusion is a hot issue within education and there is growing concern about the numbers of exclusions and off-rolling in schools in England. In particular, a number of studies have drawn attention to the rise in school exclusions and suspensions (see DfE, 2019; Demie, 2019; Parsons, 2009; Timpson, 2019). This has brought exclusion issues to the front of public and education policy debate in England.
The reviews of previous research also suggest that some Black and special educational needs (SEN) pupils represent the most excluded groups of pupils in British schools (Demie, 2019; Timpson, 2019). In addition to Black Caribbean students, Gypsy/Roma and Traveller pupils, Mixed White and Black Caribbean pupils, and SEN pupils are overrepresented in the exclusion statistics in England (DfE, 2019). This finding is further supported by empirical evidence that confirms the scale of the problem and the rise in permanent school exclusion to 7,905 pupils in 2018 from 4,630 in 2013, an increase of 41 per cent. Evidence also shows about a 35 per cent increase in fixed exclusions during the same period (DfE, 2019).
