What to do if you disagree with the exclusion

If your child has been excluded you can make all the difference in getting your child back on track and helping them to be successful.

Work will be set by the school for your child to complete at home during the first five days of the exclusion (it is your responsibility to ensure completed work is returned to the school for marking). During the first five days of the exclusion you have a duty to ensure that your child is not present in a public place during school hours unless there is reasonable justification for this. You may receive a penalty notice from the Local Authority if your child is present in a public place during school hours during the period of the exclusion.

Schools may arrange a re-admission meeting following any period of exclusion. The purpose of this interview is to assist your child with reintegration back into the school and to promote good behaviour.

At either the re-admission meeting or reintegration interview, ask the headteacher or senior member of staff how you can help. You will be able to support your child and the school in many ways, this may include:

• getting involved in planning and setting targets for your child if he/she is excluded on a fixed period basis
• looking at a home/school book or report every evening which tells you how your child is doing
• talking to your child about his/her learning and progress and praising success
• making sure that you support the school’s behaviour policy by using similar rules at home and letting your child know that you will not accept poor behaviour
• attending parents’ meetings and making contact with your child’s tutor/teacher
• letting the school know if you are in any way worried about how your child might behave (for example, something may have happened out of school which has upset them)
• letting the school know what strategies you use at home and what seems to work with your son or daughter. You know your child best after all