FAQs — Exclusions
My child has been excluded from school. What can I do?
Exclusion should be seen as a last resort to be used only when all other measures have failed.
A school can only exclude a pupil if one of the following reasons applies:
- The school thinks that order and discipline in the school and the education of the other pupils will be badly affected if your child continues to attend there.
- The school thinks that you, the parents, have not followed the school’s rules and have allowed your child to break the school rules.
Schools must always state one of these as the reason for the exclusion.
On the same day as the exclusion, the school must contact you, either in conversation or in writing, to tell you that your child has been excluded and to arrange a meeting within 7 days to discuss the exclusion.
Within 8 days of the exclusion, the school must write to tell you:
- the reason your child was excluded
- any conditions for your child’s return to school (usually you and/or your child will have to sign an agreement before your child is re-admitted)
- of your right to appeal against the exclusion.
Your child still has the right to education when excluded and the education authority must arrange for alternative education. If your child is only excluded for a few days, they may not receive any teaching, but schoolwork may be sent home to be completed, and then returned to school for marking.
The letter from the school or education authority containing the decision to exclude your child will tell you how you can appeal to the education appeal committee. When your child is excluded, details of the exclusion are entered on their school records, but if your appeal is successful, the record is changed and the details removed.
My child has been sent home with no explanation from the school. What should I do?
Sometimes schools use a variety of phrases to describe removing a child from school. These phrases may include:
- sending a child home early
- cooling-off period
- temporary exclusion
- short term suspension
- the child cannot cope with a full day.
Schools do not always think of these as proper exclusions but these are all examples of exclusion. Schools should record them and follow the proper procedures. Schools should not simply send children home because of their behaviour unless one of the reasons below applies:
- The school thinks that order and discipline in the school and the education of the other pupils will be badly affected if your child continues to attend there.
- The school thinks that you, the parents, have not followed the school’s rules and have allowed your child to break the school rules.
If your child has been sent home, you should ask the school why your child has been excluded and ask for the proper procedures to be followed.
