The first place to start if your child is excluded from school is to make sure you are aware of what official guidelines say about exclusion and about how you can support your child. You need to obtain copies of the exclusion guidelines from your child's school, from the LEA, or from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Schools should be doing all they can to avoid exclusion but sometimes the head teacher makes a decision that this is the only option. While exclusion is intended to be a last resort, the guidelines do provide for immediate exclusion for a single one-off act of violence.

School exclusions are fixed term or permanent and parents need to be contacted immediately – with a letter of confirmation to follow. The letter should give the reasons for the exclusion as well as explain what steps have been taken to try to avoid resorting to exclusion.

What can parents do to help their excluded child?

The guidance stresses the need for early intervention and the involvement of parents. If your child has a record of difficulties, you should have copies of letters sent to you in the past and other documents dealing with the problems. These may include the special educational needs (SEN) process as well as the involvement of specialist agencies including an education psychologist and the Education Welfare Service.

In objecting to an exclusion, the action a parent will need to take will depend on the length of the exclusion. There is a maximum of 45 days in any one school year for fixed term exclusions, and those may be imposed in one school term. A fixed term may be converted to a permanent exclusion if further inquiries produce evidence warranting such a drastic step. For exclusions under five days, parents may make written representations to the governing body. For five-day-plus exclusions oral representations may be made to the governing body’s discipline committee where the parent may be represented. A clerk who should also be able to advise the committee will make arrangements. An officer of the local education authority may also be present, especially in permanent exclusion cases.

Getting help

You can visit the Communities Empowerment Network's (CEN) website at www.compowernet.org where you will find plenty of information about the type of support they can provide.