Educators are working in one of the most challenging education landscapes in recent memory. Cuts to health and social care, alongside the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, have significantly increased the level of need pupils bring into school. Many schools are now dealing with more frequent and more complex behaviour, often without access to specialist support needed to respond effectively.
Exclusion is not experienced equally. Pupils with SEND, those living in poverty, and racially marginalised pupils, particularly Black Caribbean boys and increasingly Black girls, are disproportionately affected. Exclusion is therefore not only a behaviour issue, but an equality issue with serious implications for pupils’ life chances.
At the same time, schools face a funding crisis, rising workload, recruitment difficulties, and constant accountability pressures. Behaviour is no longer just a classroom issue — it is a whole-school and workforce issue. Misaligned behaviour systems contribute to staff stress, burnout, and retention problems, which directly affect the quality of education we can provide.
But high exclusion rates are not inevitable.
They are shaped and prevented by leadership decisions, school policies, and behaviour culture. This can be reduced through inclusive, evidence-informed practice.
About the session
This session gives educators a clear overview of the key factors driving exclusions and the practical actions schools can take to reduce them. The focus is on realistic, whole-school approaches that maintain high expectations while improving inclusion, staff confidence and equality.
Members will learn:
- The national picture of children and young people’s mental health, and how responses to poverty, race, gender and SEND can intersect to increase the risk of exclusion
- Why exclusion is an equality issue, and its link to long-term outcomes, including the school-to-prison pipeline
- What proposed SEND reforms from the Department for Education may mean for mainstream classrooms, and why educators need to prepare early
- Why behaviour policies need regular review, and how a clear, consistent policy can reduce exclusions and improve staff confidence
- How reward and sanction systems can be used proactively, with awareness of their risks and limits, helping you identify and support pupils at risk of exclusion before problems escalate
- How inclusive curriculums and restorative approaches can improve engagement and reduce repeat incidents
Suitable for: All educators, but particularly useful for school leaders.
Can’t make it? Don’t worry! If you are unable to attend, still register to receive a recording link and watch within 14 days.
