Education Secretary Damian Hinds said the review is taking place because exclusion rates have gone up in recent years.
In an interview with The Sunday Times he said pupils should only be expelled as a "last resort".
The DfE has confirmed that Edward Timpson, who lost his seat at the June 2017 general election, will lead the review, with more details due to be announced later this week. News of his appointment comes just weeks after it emerged that Timpson had been appointed to advise children's commissioner for England Anne Longfield.
Hinds said there were big variations in the use of permanent exclusions from area to area and school to school, as well as among groups of children.
Last month Ofsted said it was writing to more than 100 head teachers across eight exclusion "hot spots", to raise concerns about the high number of pupils being removed from schools in their area.
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