An examination of educational and social care needs and youth justice involvement among young people permanently excluded from school in England

Permanent exclusion from school is a method of behaviour management that is used to address challenging behaviours. Reducing exclusions is important because children and young people excluded from school are known to have poorer life opportunities than their in-school counterparts. This is reflected in factors that make some children and young people vulnerable to exclusion (e.g. a history of adverse experiences, Special Educational Need, the subjective experience of social exclusion) and also vulnerabilities as a consequence of exclusion (e.g. increased vulnerability to exploitation and serious youth violence).
This research explored a consecutive cohort sample of 200 children and young people permanently excluded from schools in a single county of England between September 2018 and December 2020. Education data was linked to information held by social care and police/youth justice services.
Data indicated that children and young people permanently excluded from schools presented with multiple and possibly complex needs and vulnerabilities relating to possible deprivation, mental health and social care, and at a higher level than reflected in the national data. Pupils who were excluded for persistent, disruptive behaviour often had an extensive history of fixed term exclusions, whereas it was not uncommon for pupils who were permanently excluded for drug-related reasons to have no history of fixed term exclusions. Furthermore, most children and young people who were justice-involved had their first contact with police and youth justice services before or at the time of permanent exclusion. Half of children and young people who continued to be justice-involved after exclusion had needs relating to deprivation, mental health/learning style, and were cared for by the local authority. Implications of the results will be discussed and with reference to how police could work with schools to prevent school exclusions and respond to young people vulnerable to engagement with the youth justice service.