Dignity at Work Policy

Sonning Common Primary School

Exclusion Policy

The Governors and the Headteacher of Sonning Common Primary School are committed to the promotion of good behaviour through our Values Policy so that pupils are able to follow the curriculum and achieve their full potential. Exclusion is the most drastic step that the school can take because it runs against our commitment to inclusion. It is therefore used sparingly for the most serious cases of unacceptable behaviour:

· to protect the education or welfare of the pupil or others

· to support school discipline

· to act as a clear statement to all pupils that certain behaviour is unacceptable

· to ensure that parents/carers know of the behaviour and are involved in controlling it.

Only the Headteacher (or a named senior member of staff in the absence of the Headteacher) may exclude a pupil. Local Authority procedures and the law on exclusions are followed at all times.

Types of Exclusion:

· Fixed Term – when the pupil’s date of return is decided in advance of the exclusion and the parents/carers are told in advance the reason and the date on which the pupil is expected to return to the school. The Headteacher can exclude a pupil for up to 45 days in any one school year. Lunchtime exclusion can be given for disruptive behaviour during lunchhours.

· Permanent Exclusion: - when a pupil who presents a significant Health and Safety risk is not allowed to return to the school. Permanent Exclusion is usually the final step in the process for dealing with disciplinary offences. It is an acknowledgement by the school that it has exhausted all available strategies for dealing with the pupil. The Headteacher can decide that a fixed term exclusion will be made permanent.

Reasons for Exclusion:

· Disruptive behaviour

· Offensive language – racist, sexist, swearing – to staff and/or pupils

· Physical violence to staff and/or pupils

· Unwillingness to accept sanctions

· Persistent bullying

· Leaving school premises without permission

· Damage to property – vandalism, arson, theft

· Substance abuse – tobacco, alcohol, drugs, solvents.

Exclusion is not appropriate for dealing with minor behaviour incidents or poor educational performance.

Avoiding Exclusion:

At Sonning Common Primary School staff use a range of strategies to avoid the need for exclusion. These include:

· Alternative sanctions

· Interviewing the pupil and the parents/carers

· Identifying special educational needs

· Issuing a formal warning

· Drawing up a Pastoral Support Plan with help from the Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Outreach Service or the Educational Psychology Service

· Consulting the Education Social Work Service and other support agencies

· Time out from class

· Time out in another class.

Pre Exclusion:

Before reaching a decision to exclude, the Headteacher

· considers all the relevant facts and available evidence to support the allegations made, taking into account the school’s Values, Behaviour and Equal Opportunities Policies and the need to apply them consistently;

· listens to the pupil’s version of events;

· checks whether the incident may have been provoked;

· consults witnesses and relevant staff.

If the Headteacher is satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that the pupil did what is alleged and that exclusion is the appropriate sanction, the Headteacher excludes the child.

When a pupil is excluded:

Once the Headteacher excludes a pupil, the parents/carers are notified immediately. Within one school day, a letter follows to inform the parents/carers of

· the reasons for the exclusion;

· the nature and length of the exclusion;

· the name and contact number of the Local Authority officer who can provide advice on the exclusions process;

· how the parents/carers can make representations about the exclusion to the Discipline Committee of the School Governors.

The Discipline Committee:

The Discipline Committee, comprising three of the school governors, meets following an exclusion as required by law to review the exclusion and to hear representations from parents/carers. The Headteacher is not a member, but is entitled to be represented. The Clerk to the Discipline Committee makes detailed minutes which can be used later at an Independent Appeals Panel.

The Headteacher must inform the Discipline Committee and the Children, Young People and Families Directorate (Local Authority) of the type and length of an exclusion within one day of making the order to exclude.

Meetings of the Discipline Committee:

A meeting will take place if

· Parents/carers appeal against exclusions of 5 days or less. The Committee will ensure that the correct procedures have been followed, but cannot direct reinstatement of the child.

· Parents/carers appeal against exclusions of 5 to 15 days for which the Committee must meet from 6 to 50 days after the order to exclude. The Committee can direct reinstatement.

· Permanent exclusions or exclusions of more than 15 days for which the Committee must meet in 6 to 15 days from the order to exclude. The parents/carers, the Headteacher and a representative of the Local Authority must be invited to attend. The Committee considers written evidence clearly attributed and signed and may call witnesses to the incidents which caused the exclusion. The Headteacher attends the meeting to clarify points and answer questions relating to events leading to the exclusion. The representative of the Local Authority advises on arrangements for the continuing education of the child if exclusion is upheld or support for the child during the period of reinstatement. The Discipline Committee members only make the decision to uphold the exclusion or to reinstate the child. Parents/carers and others attending are asked to withdraw while the decision is taken. Within one school day the Clerk to the Discipline Committee writes to the parents/carers to inform them of

· 1) the decision of the Discipline Committee to uphold the exclusion or to reinstate the child and the reasons for making it

· 2) the address of the Clerk to the Independent Appeals Panel of the Local Authority should they wish to make an appeal against the decision of the Discipline Committee

· 3) the date by which the appeal should be lodged to the Independent Appeals Panel, up to 15 school days after they receive the Discipline Committee’s decision in writing.

Minutes of the Discipline Committee meetings are confidential, but will be forwarded to Independent Appeals Panels of the Local authority.

In exceptional cases further appeals may be heard in Judicial Reviews in the High Court.

The Education of excluded pupils:

When a pupil is excluded for more than a day, work is set and marked by school staff. If a pupil is excluded for more then 15 consecutive days the Headteacher plans how the pupil’s education will continue during the period of exclusion, how the pupil’s problems can be addressed and makes arrangements for the pupil’s reintegration into school at the end of the exclusion.

Reintegration into school:

The Headteacher convenes a planning meeting to make the necessary preparations for the pupil’s return to school after a prolonged exclusion. Parents/carers and a representative from the Local Authority are invited. A Support Plan, which may include the provision of additional support, is drawn up with targets and a review date.

Reintegration into another school or educational setting:

If parents/carers apply to an Independent Appeals Panel, an Individual Reintegration Action Plan is finalised at a Post Exclusion Case Conference. The plan will, wherever possible, include: steps to be taken to assess and integrate the pupil into a new setting. The Education Officer allocated to the pupil is responsible for this plan.

Further information:

This policy is based on the ADP/Partnership Exclusion Policy and the Oxfordshire Governor Services Guidance to Clerks to Governing Bodies 2004 (Revised 2008) and incorporates legal requirements and Local authority procedures.

For full details of the Independent Appeals Panel process please go to the following weblink:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/behaviour/exclusion/2008guidance/

Requests for Independent Appeal Panel hearings should be sent to:

The Clerk to the Independent Appeal Panel, County Hall, New Road, Oxford, OX1 1ND.

AMENDMENT SHEET FOR ALL POLICY STATEMENTS

POLICY ON EXCLUSION

POLICY NUMBER 43 Version 3

DATE POLICY RATIFIED: 1996

DATE POLICY LAST REWRITTEN: SPRING 2009

Date	Page	Line	Amendment
Spring 1996			Written
Summer 2001			Rewritten
Summer 2009			Rewritten