Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Timpson Review of School Exclusion — [Graham Stringer in the Chair]

16 September 2021 · 6 other contributors · 12,935 words

Opened by Andy Carter Con Warrington South

Responding minister: Vicky Ford

EducationMental HealthChildren & Families

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Andy Carter raised concerns about timpson review of school exclusion — [graham stringer in the chair] in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • The speaker is concerned about the increasing number of pupils excluded from mainstream schools, particularly those with special educational needs or challenges at home.
  • The speaker noted nearly 100,000 pupils were severely absent last year, missing more than half their education due to non-attendance.
  • The speaker highlighted an increase in mental health issues among children, rising from one in nine to one in six since the pandemic began.

Key requests to Government

The lead MP asks the Government to prioritise capital funding for alternative provision settings, publish the special educational needs and disability review promptly, and introduce substantive training on behaviour issues into initial teacher training and the early career framework. He also seeks clarity on when these actions will be implemented.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Andy Carter Con Warrington South

The speaker is concerned about the increasing number of pupils being excluded from mainstream schools, especially those with special educational needs or challenges in their home life. He noted that nearly 100,000 pupils were severely absent last year, missing more than half their education through non-attendance. Additionally, there has been an increase in mental health issues among children, rising from one child in nine to one in six since the pandemic began. The speaker also highlighted issues with unsuitable buildings for alternative provision schools and called for investment in improving facilities.

Other contributors (6)
  • Edward Timpson Con Eddisbury

    Timpson outlined the findings of his review, noting that exclusion affects only 0.1% of children but still equates to 40 exclusions a day and around 2,000 suspensions daily. He emphasised the importance of headteachers having discretion in using exclusion as a last resort where appropriate. The pandemic has led to heightened anxiety for some children, social disconnection problems, and potential issues with persistent absence and exclusion.

  • Graham Stringer Lab Blackley and Middleton South

    Encouraged Members to wear masks when not speaking, in line with Government guidance, and to maintain social distance from each other and staff.

  • Peter Kyle Lab Hove and Portslade

    Paid tribute to the outgoing Minister for School Standards, thanked those involved in triggering the debate, acknowledged the role of teachers and schools in supporting students while highlighting challenges such as high incentives to exclude. Emphasised the impact of austerity on children's services and the rise in vulnerability among young people leading to higher exclusion rates. Mentioned that pupils eligible for free school meals are four times more likely to be permanently excluded than others, with two in five having some form of SEND. Called for better support for vulnerable students, highlighting a case where he set targets for reducing permanent exclusions while increasing student outcomes.

  • Rachael Maskell Lab Co-op York Central

    Ms. Maskell argued that the government needs to invest more in parenting and provide instruments for parents to help children before they reach a point of exclusion. She stated that children who experience adoption are 20 times more likely to be permanently excluded, five times more likely to be excluded for a fixed period, and 16 times more likely to be suspended at key stage 1. Ms. Maskell also highlighted the need for therapeutic schools where any child can go when feeling insecure in class. The hon. Member supports the idea of having diagnostic opportunities in schools, particularly for neurodiverse children who often wait years before receiving a diagnosis. There is a real shortage of clinicians with expertise in paediatric mental health. She questions whether the Minister is collaborating with the Department of Health and Social Care to increase this number. Teachers, despite being mental health leads, lack clinical skills and experience.

  • Sally-Ann Hart Con Hamilton

    Sally-Ann Hart discussed the negative impacts of school exclusions on children's lives and educational outcomes, highlighting the link between exclusion and involvement in the criminal justice system. She mentioned that 85% of young offenders had received fixed-term exclusions and 63% of prisoners had experienced a fixed-term exclusion at school. Additionally, she noted that pupils with special educational needs are more likely to be excluded compared to their peers.

  • Tom Hunt Lab Leamington

    Tom Hunt agreed with the recommendations of the Timpson Review and emphasized the importance of therapy, proper transitions for those with special educational needs, and the need to support unconventional thinkers. He highlighted that over two out of five permanently excluded students had special educational needs and advocated for better provision in prisons for individuals with learning disabilities.

Government Response

Vicky Ford

As ever, it is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friends the Members for Warrington South (Andy Carter) and for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson) on securing this important debate. The Timpson review was a very positive and comprehensive report that has influenced the Government's approach to exclusions and behaviour. All children deserve the best start in life, and the review recognises every child's right to a high-quality education and every headteacher's right to enable their staff to teach in a calm and safe school environment. The review highlights how certain cohorts of children are more likely to become excluded than others and how this can affect their outcomes. We are taking forward the vast majority of the report's recommendations, including an ambitious programme of work to improve understanding of behaviour and wellbeing, and putting additional support for children who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion. This includes concrete actions taken through the pandemic, the Department's behaviour programme, and reforms to alternative provision (AP) and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We provided £1.7 billion for schools as part of a £3 billion education recovery package, including AP transition support for around 6,500 year 11s. We also established an AP stakeholder group to guide us on supporting vulnerable children through the pandemic and beyond. A practice improvement fund is being looked at to codify and boost quality in AP, ensuring all children access best-in-class provision and mainstream schools can draw on specialist support upstream for early intervention. We are launching two new projects focusing on serious violence hotspots: 10 SAFE taskforces (£30 million over three years) and a pilot of alternative provision specialist taskforces (launching in November). These will help re-engage children at risk, reducing truancy, NEET risk, involvement in serious violence, and improving mental health and wellbeing. We are investing £300 million this year to support local authorities with new places for children with special educational needs and disabilities or those requiring alternative provision. Exclusion is an essential tool but should be used only as a last resort; trends show it has remained stable since 2016-17, with roughly six exclusions per 10,000 pupils. Ofsted holds schools to account for how they use exclusions and considers off-rolling in its revised framework. We are committed to updating guidance on suspensions and permanent exclusions and will consult later this year. Certain groups, including those eligible for free school meals or with Gypsy, Roma, Traveller backgrounds, are more likely to be excluded. Virtual school heads have been successful in reducing rates of exclusion among looked-after children and we are expanding their role. We are putting considerable investment into mental health support teams and training mental health leads in schools, alongside the new relationships, sex and health education curriculum which includes mental health and wellbeing modules. We are also developing a pilot for a pupil survey to understand perceptions of wellbeing and behaviour in mainstream secondary schools and pursuing a programme of work to improve behaviour and discipline in schools through behaviour hubs. This goes along with high-quality support, training, and development running through a teacher's career from initial teacher training onwards.

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