School inclusion best for struggling pupils

Half of all fixed-period and permanent exclusions were children with special educational needs, while pupils eligible for free school meals were four times more likely to be excluded.

The "outstanding"-rated Pendlebury Centre pupil referral unit could offer a blueprint to tackle this problem. It specialises in educating children excluded from mainstream school due to underlying mental health issues. One hundred per cent of its pupils go on to further education or training. They are the lucky ones. Research by National Children's Bureau shows 33,000 children went "missing" from education records last year. Missing education puts these children at greater risk of being abused, committing crime and being unemployed.

Disruptive classroom behaviour or academic struggles are often symptoms of mental health problems, undiagnosed learning difficulties or long-term abuse. Too often the response from educators is to turn a blind eye - NCB found some schools did not find out why pupils had stopped attending, or tell their local authority - or permanently exclude the child so they become someone else's problem.

PRUs like the Pendlebury Centre step in to pick up the pieces for some of these excluded children, but it would be better to avoid exclusion in the first place. Some settings, such as The Romsey School, have created an "inclusion unit" that provides intensive support for struggling pupils with the aim of reintegrating them back into the mainstream. It has not had a single permanent exclusion in nearly four years.

The government's school behaviour tsar Tom Bennett has called for "internal inclusion units" to be expanded. The government should back this recommendation with dedicated funding and guidance. Targeting early help at pupils most at risk of exclusion is the best way of safeguarding their welfare and helping them achieve.

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