Governors Discipline Committee (GDC) meetings for suspension

Information about GDC meetings for suspension and how to prepare for them

The committee which meets to review exclusions is known as the Governor’s Discipline Committee and consists of at least 3 governors.

The role of the GDC is to review the headteacher’s decision to exclude your child.

Suspensions are very serious, and governors will consider whether the exclusion has been carried out correctly and that the decision takes account of your child’s needs.

The GDC’s role is not to rubber stamp the headteacher’s decision.

The Clerk to the GDC will write to you confirming the date and time of the meeting.

Evidence pack

The Clerk will send the school’s evidence pack to you and everyone else attending the GDC.

The evidence pack should arrive at least five days before the meeting and will include some or all of the following:

  • a written summary by the headteacher
  • written accounts by staff and pupils who saw, or who were involved in, the incident for which your child was suspended
  • a written account by your child of what happened
  • a behaviour log
  • academic reports
  • details of any special educational needs your child may have
  • an Individual Educational Plan, if relevant, setting out your child’s needs and the strategies and support in place to address these, as well as information about other services or agencies involved
  • a copy of any PSP or IBP, which may include the involvement of other agencies for children or young people who have been, or are at risk of being, permanently excluded.
  • attendance records
  • relevant school policies

What to do if you disagree with a suspension

Who attends the meeting

The following people will attend the meeting:

  • governors, one of whom will act as chair of the GDC. There must be at least three governors, if there are more it must be an uneven number
  • a clerk to take minutes and advise on procedure if necessary
  • the headteacher and any other relevant staff members (for example SENDCo or Head of Year, who may be able to answer very detailed questions about your child’s school history)
  • if applicable, you family support worker, social worker or a representative from the virtual school can also attend
  • your child, if they want to give their views and you and your child are comfortable doing so. You may want to agree with them before the meeting what part they will take if they do attend. For example, do they want to answer questions, make a statement or just be present?
  • witnesses may be called to give evidence. This rarely happens and they do not usually stay for the whole meeting

Meeting agenda

The meeting will follow a clear agenda which will be sent to you with the invitation to the meeting.

The Local Authority (LA) has a standard agenda which most GDC’s follow, but they may alter the order of questions:

  1. presentation by headteacher or nominated representative
  2. questions to headteacher by governors and parents about the school’s presentation
  3. presentation by parents or their representative
  4. questions to parents by headteacher and governors
  5. summing up by headteacher
  6. summing up by parents
  7. end of the formal/open part of the meeting. Parents, their support/representatives/child, the headteacher and any other school staff will all leave the meeting at this point

Only governors remain to discuss the evidence they have seen and heard during the meeting and make their decision.

None of those attending the meeting should be on their own with governors before, during, or after the meeting, except the clerk who stays to record the decision and the reasons for it. The clerk will then send you a letter giving you that information and it should be sent first class post and without delay.

GDC considerations

The GDC must consider:

  • whether, on the balance of probabilities, your child did what they are alleged to have done and which school policies were not followed by your child
  • whether the correct policies were used by the school and whether the school applied its own policies and the DfE Exclusions Guidance
  • the seriousness of the incident and whether the length of the suspension was in proportion to what your child did and to any sanction given to others involved in the incident
  • any relevant breaches of school policy
  • the support provided by the school, when it was put in place and whether it had been in place long enough to have had a significant effect on your child’s behaviour
  • any special educational needs and/or disability your child may have
  • whether your child is in a vulnerable group, as defined by the DfE Exclusions Guidance
  • any reasonable adjustments the school should have had in place for your child
  • any mitigating circumstances, such as being provoked or having new medication prescribed or a change of medication

The GDC can only choose between two decisions:

  • uphold the suspension or,
  • direct reinstatement

If your child is suspended, the second choice will usually be made after your child has returned to school at the end of the suspension. In that case, governors may choose to add a note to your child’s school record giving their decision.