Pepe Di’Iasio, General Secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, responds to government plans to introduce a new framework over the use of suspensions and internal exclusions.
“Many schools already use internal exclusions – where the pupil continues to learn in a separate, supervised setting within the school – to manage challenging behaviour short of an off-site suspension.
“This provides a structured opportunity for specialist staff to support students, to help them learn from their mistakes, better understand how to respond appropriately in the future, and ensure that any issues are not repeated.
“Internal exclusions also provide time and space for students to continue with the normal routines of attending school, enabling appropriate and effective reintegration back into the full school day with as little disruption as possible.
“We look forward to seeing the detail of the government’s plans to introduce a new framework in this area.
“It is important that this is genuinely helpful and does not merely create yet more administrative burdens on school leaders and their staff. It is also imperative that any new expectations are backed up with sufficient resources and that schools are not once again left having to do more with less.”