Figures showing reductions in permanent exclusions are masking the fact that thousands of pupils, many with behavioural difficulties, are being shifted from schools to alternative providers, think-tank Civitas has claimed.

According to the report, A New Secret Garden, these "managed moves" and referrals do not show up in official exclusion statistics.

The report states that despite the fall in permanent exclusions, the number of children being taught in pupil referral units continued to rise, a measure that, according to the report authors, suggests forms of "effective exclusion" are replacing permanent exclusion.

The majority of the 16 London local authorities interviewed said this shift towards off-site provision was due to political pressure from the previous government. One local authority admitted "there is pressure to reduce permanent exclusions and we’ve responded".

The report authors Tom Ogg and Emily Kaill argue that permanent exclusion should be abolished so that pupils must remain on the rolls of mainstream schools.

"The right of a school to remove a pupil from its site should be recognised, but this must be balanced by giving rights to those excluded pupils to choose what provision replaces their mainstream schooling," they state. "Currently, pupils have no right to influence which school they are sent to when they are effectively excluded."

Clarice Morgan is a 17-year-old Hackney Police Cadet. She joined the CYP Now team for Takeover Day on Friday 12 November