Unfortunately, this is a comment that has been made before (including in a previous post - http://blog.mooreblatch.com/post/102eeh2/exclusions-at-school): Pupils with SEN account for almost half of school exclusions.
It is a worrying statistic and the government's review, to be led by former children's minister, Edward Timpson, is recognition of the problem.
A further worry for parents with children who have SEN is off rolling; a process by which schools delete children from their register. Whilst this is lawful in specific cases, governed by legislation, there are also some examples of off rolling where it is not lawful. There are restrictions on schools removing pupils from their register and it is therefore important that this is adhered to, in order to ensure that children are not missing an education. This is especially relevant where a child has SEN and may need time away from school, a register needs to be maintained so that these children do not end up "lost" in the system.
Managed moves are also an issue for many children with SEN. These occur when schools threaten a pupil with permanent exclusion without the procedural steps being complied with. It also means that the right of appeal is not made clear to the parents. Rather than look for a managed move, usually to a specialist or alternative provision, it may be better to consider the EHCP process. This way, a child's needs can be assessed and a school placement considered as part of this process, allowing parents, and schools, to make an informed decision on a suitable placement.
It is clear that these are worrying trends. Schools should be inclusive and, if there are concerns about a child's SEN, and their access to education, an EHCP should be considered.
Almost half of all exclusions ...are of pupils with identified special educational needs. Children with special educational needs are seven times more likely than the average to be permanently excluded, although this proportion has actually slightly fallen as the total number of exclusions has risen. Special educational needs cover a wide range of difficulties and disabilities, which makes learning harder for these children than for other pupils of a similar age. By far the most common reason given for permanently expelling a child is "persistent disruptive behaviour". Other less common reasons include physical and verbal abuse, bullying, racist or sexually inappropriate behaviour and drug and alcohol use. This isn't the whole story, though. The official statistics only capture formal exclusions. But there are concerns that some children are being "managed out" of schools in less formal ways.
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