Permanent exclusions

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1. Main facts and figures

  • Gypsy and Roma, and Traveller of Irish heritage pupils had the highest permanent exclusion rates in the 2021 to 2022 school year – both had 31 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils (or 0.31%)
  • pupils from the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups had the lowest permanent exclusion rates (both 0.01%)
  • these rates are based on very small numbers of exclusions and are less reliable as a result



Further research

Research by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (PDF) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) found that Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils were stereotyped at school. This included teachers assuming that they were bullies.

Research by the Office for National Statistics about Gypsies’ and Travellers' lived experiences, education and employment found that Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller children sometimes reacted to the bullying and racism they experienced, and were unfairly excluded as a result.

Many exclusions of Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller pupils are appealed and overturned, as shown in Education inequalities facing Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in England (PDF) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) by the charity Friends, Families and Travellers. They suggest that more understanding and support should be given to Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller pupils facing exclusion, such as that outlined in the Timpson Review of School Exclusion, to make sure that the appropriate solution is chosen. This research also found that the gap between permanent exclusion rates for Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller and white British children decreased when controlling for other factors like poverty, special educational needs and absence. The report suggests that the causes of higher exclusion rates among Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils is likely to be multifaceted and encompass wider issues than just ethnicity.

2. Things you need to know

What the data measures

The data shows the number and rate of permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England.

There are 2 types of exclusion:

  • permanent, which means a pupil can’t return to the school they're excluded from
  • temporary (also known as ‘suspensions’) which can be up to 45 school days – you can see data on temporary exclusions by ethnicity

Exclusion rates are rounded to 2 decimal places. Percentages by ethnicity and reason for exclusion are rounded to 1 decimal place.

How exclusion rates are calculated

Exclusion rates for each ethnic group are based on:

  • the number of pupils in January each year
  • the number of exclusions in the whole school year

For example, a rate of 00.18% means there were 18 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils.

In the data by ethnicity and reason for exclusion, the percentages are based on total reasons, not all pupils.

The ethnic groups used in the data

Data is shown for the 18 ethnic groups used in the 2011 Census, with 2 exceptions:

  • there are separate categories for Traveller of Irish heritage, and Gypsy and Roma pupils
  • the Chinese ethnic group has its own category, rather than being part of the Asian ethnic group

Data analysed over time, by reason and by local authority is shown for 6 aggregated groups:

  • Asian
  • black
  • Chinese
  • mixed
  • white
  • 'other'

This is to make sure pupil numbers are large enough to be reliable.

Pupils’ ethnicity was not known for 150 permanent school exclusions. Rates are shown separately for pupils whose ethnic group was not known.

Any data where there is only 1 pupil in the category has been suppressed with '!'

Methodology

Read the detailed methodology document for this data.

You can also read about a data checking exercise for data from 1997 to 2010, which led to some figures being updated.

Data for the Gypsy and Roma, and Traveller of Irish heritage groups is based on small numbers of pupils. There are low numbers of exclusions in some ethnic groups. This makes it difficult to make reliable generalisations. Read more about how group size affects the reliability of data.

From the 2020 to 2021 school year, up to 3 reasons can be recorded for each exclusion. There is no requirement to order the reasons. In previous years there was a different list of reasons and schools were required to report the main reason for each exclusion. So data on the reasons for exclusions is not comparable with those before the 2020 to 2021 school year.

In the data file

In the school years up to July 2017, ethnicity was only collected for pupils of compulsory school age. As a result, the analysis of exclusions by ethnicity in these years only includes pupils of compulsory school age. Pupils above compulsory school age are still included in the overall exclusion totals, so these will not match total exclusions by ethnicity.

The decimal places against values for 1997 to 2010 are a result of a data checking exercise, which led to some figures being updated.

3. Permanent exclusions by ethnicity

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Permanent exclusion rate, and number of permanent exclusions, by ethnicity
Ethnicity Rate Number
All 0.08 6,495
Asian 0.03 305
Bangladeshi 0.02 33
Indian 0.01 36
Pakistani 0.05 190
Asian Other 0.03 46
Black 0.07 356
Black African 0.05 164
Black Caribbean 0.16 134
Black Other 0.09 58
Chinese 0.01 4
Mixed 0.11 598
Mixed White and Asian 0.06 87
Mixed White and Black African 0.10 77
Mixed White and Black Caribbean 0.23 298
Mixed Other 0.06 136
White 0.08 4,997
White British 0.09 4,649
Gypsy, Roma 0.31 84
White Irish 0.11 23
Irish Traveller 0.31 21
White Other 0.04 220
Other 0.05 85
Unknown 0.11 150

Download table data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Permanent exclusions Permanent exclusions by ethnicity Summary

The data shows that:

  • there were 8 permanent exclusions for every 10,000 pupils in England (a rate of 0.08)
  • the Gypsy and Roma, and Traveller of Irish heritage ethnic groups had the highest exclusion rates – 31 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils (0.31)
  • the Chinese and Indian ethnic groups had the lowest exclusion rates – 1 exclusion for every 10,000 pupils (0.01)
  • the rate for white British pupils was 9 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils (0.09)

4. Permanent exclusions by ethnicity over time

Location:
England
Time period:
September 2006 to July 2022
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Permanent exclusion rate, and number of permanent exclusions, by ethnicity over time
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
School year All Rate All Number Asian Rate Asian Number Black Rate Black Number Chinese Rate Chinese Number Mixed Rate Mixed Number White Rate White Number Other Rate Other Number
2006/07 0.12 8,658.00 0.07 340.61 0.23 642.99 0.00 1.06 0.23 506.41 0.12 6,769.30 0.07 49.22
2007/08 0.11 8,126.00 0.06 307.20 0.24 695.96 0.01 3.47 0.20 458.30 0.12 6,355.74 0.10 79.28
2008/09 0.09 6,379.00 0.05 286.99 0.18 536.04 0.01 3.03 0.15 361.25 0.09 4,947.85 0.09 71.91
2009/10 0.08 5,741.02 0.04 244.71 0.19 598.70 0.01 2.31 0.15 385.45 0.08 4,321.95 0.06 55.72
2010/11 0.07 5,082.00 0.04 211.00 0.14 443.00 0.00 0.00 0.13 362.00 0.07 3,853.00 0.05 47.00
2011/12 0.07 5,166.00 0.03 217.00 0.11 422.00 0.01 3.00 0.11 366.00 0.07 3,992.00 0.05 55.00
2012/13 0.06 4,632.00 0.03 212.00 0.11 397.00 0.02 5.00 0.11 346.00 0.07 3,524.00 0.06 58.00
2013/14 0.06 4,949.00 0.03 197.00 0.12 433.00 0.01 2.00 0.11 350.00 0.07 3,804.00 0.05 49.00
2014/15 0.07 5,795.00 0.03 240.00 0.12 464.00 0.01 2.00 0.12 428.00 0.09 4,452.00 0.07 76.00
2015/16 0.08 6,684.00 0.04 314.00 0.14 540.00 0.01 3.00 0.14 521.00 0.10 5,056.00 0.07 89.00
2016/17 0.10 7,719.00 0.04 310.00 0.14 619.00 0.01 2.00 0.14 635.00 0.10 5,897.00 0.07 100.00
2017/18 0.10 7,905.00 0.04 361.00 0.13 588.00 0.01 3.00 0.16 745.00 0.10 5,945.00 0.06 96.00
2018/19 0.10 7,894.00 0.04 366.00 0.11 529.00 0.01 3.00 0.13 658.00 0.10 6,038.00 0.08 121.00
2019/20 0.06 5,057.00 0.03 254.00 0.07 311.00 0.01 2.00 0.08 427.00 0.06 3,882.00 0.03 56.00
2020/21 0.05 3,928.00 0.02 208.00 0.05 222.00 0.00 1.00 0.06 336.00 0.05 3,004.00 0.03 54.00
2021/22 0.08 6,495.00 0.03 305.00 0.07 356.00 0.01 4.00 0.11 598.00 0.08 4,997.00 0.05 85.00

Download table data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity over time’ (CSV)

Summary of Permanent exclusions Permanent exclusions by ethnicity over time Summary

COVID-19 restrictions affected the number of exclusions in the 2 school years from September 2019 to July 2021.

The data shows that:

  • in the 16 school years covered by the data, the average exclusion rate in England went down from 0.12 to 0.08 – or from 12 to 8 permanent exclusions for every 10,000 pupils
  • the biggest decrease out of all ethnic groups was for black pupils – from 23 to 7 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils
  • the rate for pupils in the black and mixed ethnic groups was higher than the national average in every year up to July 2020
  • the rate for Asian pupils was below the national average in all 16 years
  • the rate for white pupils was the same as the national average (or similar to it) in all 16 years

5. Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and type of school

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Permanent exclusion rate, and number of permanent exclusions, by ethnicity and type of school
State-funded primary State-funded secondary State-funded special Total
Ethnicity State-funded primary Rate State-funded primary Number State-funded secondary Rate State-funded secondary Number State-funded special Rate State-funded special Number Total Rate Total Number
All 0.02 758 0.16 5,658 0.05 79 0.08 6,495
Asian 0.00 21 0.07 280 0.03 4 0.03 305
Bangladeshi 0.00 0 0.05 33 0.00 0 0.02 33
Indian 0.00 5 0.02 29 0.07 2 0.01 36
Pakistani 0.01 12 0.11 176 0.03 2 0.05 190
Asian Other 0.00 4 0.06 42 0.00 0 0.03 46
Black 0.01 36 0.14 313 0.07 7 0.07 356
Black African 0.01 15 0.09 144 0.08 5 0.05 164
Black Caribbean 0.04 15 0.29 117 0.11 2 0.16 134
Black Other 0.02 6 0.19 52 0.00 0 0.09 58
Chinese 0.00 0 0.02 3 0.21 1 0.01 4
Mixed 0.03 83 0.23 508 0.07 7 0.11 598
Mixed White and Asian 0.01 7 0.15 80 0.00 0 0.06 87
Mixed White and Black African 0.01 6 0.23 71 0.00 0 0.10 77
Mixed White and Black Caribbean 0.07 52 0.45 242 0.14 4 0.23 298
Mixed Other 0.01 18 0.13 115 0.08 3 0.06 136
White 0.02 599 0.17 4,339 0.06 59 0.08 4,997
White British 0.02 555 0.18 4,038 0.06 56 0.09 4,649
Gypsy, Roma 0.06 10 0.84 73 0.19 1 0.31 84
White Irish 0.02 2 0.21 21 0.00 0 0.11 23
Irish Traveller 0.15 8 0.91 13 0.00 0 0.31 21
White Other 0.01 24 0.09 194 0.03 2 0.04 220
Other 0.01 7 0.10 77 0.04 1 0.05 85
Unknown 0.02 12 0.19 138 0.00 0 0.11 150

Download table data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)

Summary of Permanent exclusions Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and type of school Summary

The data shows that:

  • secondary schools had the highest permanent exclusion rate out of the 3 types of school (0.16, or 16 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • primary schools had the lowest rate (0.02, or 2 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • out of all ethnic groups and types of school, the highest rate was for Traveller of Irish heritage pupils in secondary schools (0.91, or 91 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • the next highest rate was for Gypsy and Roma pupils in secondary schools (0.84, or 84 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • the highest rate in special schools was in the Chinese ethnic group (0.21, or 21 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils); this rate is based on a small number of pupils and is less reliable as a result

6. Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and local authority

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Permanent exclusion rate, and number of permanent exclusions, by ethnicity and local authority
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
Local Authority All Rate All Number Asian Rate Asian Number Black Rate Black Number Chinese Rate Chinese Number Mixed Rate Mixed Number White Rate White Number Other Rate Other Number
Barking and Dagenham 0.04 16 0.00 0 0.05 6 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.05 8 0.00 0
Barnet 0.02 12 0.01 1 0.05 3 0.00 0 0.03 2 0.01 2 0.03 2
Barnsley 0.20 71 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.12 1 0.21 69 0.00 0
Bath and North East Somerset 0.05 13 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.06 1 0.05 11 0.00 0
Bedford 0.16 50 0.14 7 0.21 4 0.00 0 0.36 12 0.14 27 0.00 0
Bexley 0.07 29 0.00 0 0.04 3 0.00 0 0.08 3 0.08 20 0.30 2
Birmingham 0.10 213 0.06 44 0.08 21 0.00 0 0.20 38 0.15 95 0.06 7
Blackburn with Darwen 0.07 18 0.04 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.27 3 0.08 10 0.00 0
Blackpool 0.13 25 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.28 2 0.13 23 0.00 0
Bolton 0.14 75 0.02 3 0.09 3 0.00 0 0.23 6 0.19 61 0.09 1
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 0.14 76 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.33 11 0.14 62 0.00 0
Bracknell Forest 0.01 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.01 1 0.00 0
Bradford 0.06 65 0.03 12 0.05 1 0.00 0 0.08 5 0.09 43 0.05 1
Brent 0.04 17 0.01 2 0.04 4 0.00 0 0.10 4 0.02 3 0.06 4
Brighton and Hove 0.01 4 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.02 4 0.00 0
Bristol, City of 0.02 14 0.00 0 0.06 4 0.00 0 0.03 2 0.02 7 0.00 0
Bromley 0.07 35 0.00 0 0.12 7 0.00 0 0.11 7 0.06 20 0.00 0
Buckinghamshire 0.02 16 0.02 3 0.08 2 0.00 0 0.01 1 0.02 9 0.00 0
Bury 0.14 41 0.02 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.18 3 0.17 37 0.00 0
Calderdale 0.17 63 0.12 8 1.10 4 0.00 0 0.18 3 0.17 47 0.44 1
Cambridgeshire 0.01 10 0.00 0 0.07 1 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.01 7 0.00 0
Camden 0.06 13 0.00 0 0.10 4 0.00 0 0.07 2 0.05 4 0.17 3
Central Bedfordshire 0.09 44 0.00 0 0.08 1 0.00 0 0.21 7 0.09 36 0.00 0
Cheshire East 0.06 33 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.13 3 0.05 27 0.00 0
Cheshire West and Chester 0.08 43 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.12 2 0.09 41 0.00 0
City of London 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0
Cornwall 0.11 80 0.36 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.16 3 0.10 74 0.87 2
County Durham 0.10 76 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.08 1 0.11 74 0.00 0
Coventry 0.09 51 0.05 6 0.08 6 0.00 0 0.14 6 0.10 31 0.08 1
Croydon 0.03 15 0.01 1 0.04 6 0.00 0 0.03 3 0.02 4 0.00 0
Cumbria 0.10 73 0.00 0 0.49 1 0.00 0 0.22 3 0.10 66 0.00 0
Darlington 0.19 30 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.21 30 0.00 0
Derby 0.05 20 0.00 0 0.05 1 0.00 0 0.06 2 0.06 17 0.00 0
Derbyshire 0.11 121 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.31 1 0.19 7 0.11 112 0.00 0
Devon 0.11 113 0.12 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.15 4 0.11 108 0.00 0
Doncaster 0.09 43 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.09 40 0.35 2
Dorset 0.05 24 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.05 24 0.00 0
Dudley 0.14 67 0.10 5 0.14 2 0.00 0 0.42 16 0.12 44 0.00 0
Ealing 0.07 37 0.04 6 0.12 9 0.00 0 0.06 3 0.07 11 0.09 8
East Riding of Yorkshire 0.08 36 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.08 36 0.00 0
East Sussex 0.05 35 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.05 2 0.05 32 0.00 0
Enfield 0.02 9 0.00 0 0.04 5 0.00 0 0.03 2 0.01 2 0.00 0
Essex 0.05 99 0.01 1 0.10 8 0.10 1 0.02 3 0.05 83 0.00 0
Gateshead 0.10 29 0.12 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 26 0.00 0
Gloucestershire 0.09 83 0.03 1 0.19 3 0.00 0 0.13 6 0.09 70 0.00 0
Greenwich 0.02 11 0.00 0 0.02 2 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.04 7 0.00 0
Hackney 0.09 30 0.03 1 0.14 15 0.00 0 0.14 6 0.03 4 0.09 2
Halton 0.14 27 1.25 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.15 26 0.00 0
Hammersmith and Fulham 0.03 7 0.06 1 0.07 3 0.00 0 0.03 1 0.02 2 0.00 0
Hampshire 0.03 53 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.01 1 0.03 52 0.00 0
Haringey 0.02 6 0.00 0 0.02 2 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.01 2 0.00 0
Harrow 0.06 24 0.03 6 0.21 7 0.00 0 0.15 5 0.04 4 0.05 1
Hartlepool 0.10 16 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.11 16 0.00 0
Havering 0.01 4 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.03 1 0.01 3 0.00 0
Herefordshire, County of 0.11 25 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.11 25 0.00 0
Hertfordshire 0.05 90 0.01 2 0.07 6 0.00 0 0.09 15 0.04 60 0.04 1
Hillingdon 0.07 37 0.03 5 0.14 7 0.00 0 0.07 5 0.08 16 0.07 3
Hounslow 0.08 36 0.01 2 0.15 7 0.00 0 0.21 9 0.11 15 0.04 2
Isle of Wight 0.04 7 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.04 7 0.00 0
Isles of Scilly 0.00 0 NA NA NA NA NA NA 0.00 0 0.00 0 NA NA
Islington 0.05 11 0.00 0 0.07 4 0.00 0 0.07 3 0.03 3 0.05 1
Kensington and Chelsea 0.04 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.12 3 0.04 2 0.00 0
Kent 0.01 30 0.02 2 0.01 1 0.00 0 0.01 1 0.01 26 0.00 0
Kingston upon Hull, City of 0.05 21 0.14 1 0.09 1 0.00 0 0.06 1 0.05 18 0.00 0
Kingston upon Thames 0.03 8 0.02 1 0.12 1 0.00 0 0.06 2 0.02 3 0.00 0
Kirklees 0.08 51 0.06 12 0.19 3 0.00 0 0.12 6 0.07 29 0.00 0
Knowsley 0.10 21 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 19 0.00 0
Lambeth 0.04 14 0.00 0 0.06 8 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.03 3 0.05 1
Lancashire 0.14 244 0.05 11 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.17 11 0.14 206 0.08 1
Leeds 0.01 8 0.01 1 0.01 1 0.00 0 0.03 3 0.00 3 0.00 0
Leicester 0.03 20 0.00 1 0.05 3 0.00 0 0.02 1 0.08 15 0.00 0
Leicestershire 0.02 24 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.02 1 0.03 23 0.00 0
Lewisham 0.04 15 0.00 0 0.06 7 0.00 0 0.08 5 0.01 1 0.00 0
Lincolnshire 0.08 90 0.05 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.11 4 0.09 85 0.00 0
Liverpool 0.11 87 0.06 2 0.07 3 0.00 0 0.18 8 0.12 69 0.10 4
Luton 0.05 18 0.03 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.14 5 0.07 8 0.00 0
Manchester 0.08 71 0.03 6 0.10 16 0.00 0 0.13 11 0.09 31 0.09 7
Medway 0.08 38 0.04 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 37 0.00 0
Merton 0.02 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.09 3 0.01 2 0.00 0
Middlesbrough 0.18 45 0.04 1 0.12 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.21 40 0.11 1
Milton Keynes 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0
Newcastle upon Tyne 0.11 45 0.04 2 0.08 2 0.00 0 0.08 2 0.13 37 0.07 1
Newham 0.03 20 0.02 5 0.07 8 0.00 0 0.08 4 0.01 1 0.06 2
Norfolk 0.14 169 0.05 1 0.07 1 0.00 0 0.23 10 0.14 152 0.00 0
North East Lincolnshire 0.10 25 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.11 25 0.00 0
North Lincolnshire 0.08 21 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.09 21 0.00 0
North Northamptonshire 0.12 67 0.00 0 0.08 2 0.00 0 0.10 3 0.13 61 0.00 0
North Somerset 0.08 25 0.24 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.17 2 0.08 22 0.00 0
North Tyneside 0.12 38 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 1 0.13 37 0.00 0
North Yorkshire 0.06 48 0.06 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.04 1 0.06 44 0.00 0
Northumberland 0.17 79 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.32 3 0.17 75 0.00 0
Nottingham 0.18 86 0.08 7 0.13 8 0.00 0 0.23 15 0.22 52 0.06 1
Nottinghamshire 0.05 59 0.00 0 0.10 2 0.00 0 0.06 4 0.05 49 0.10 1
Oldham 0.08 36 0.03 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.25 6 0.10 24 0.00 0
Oxfordshire 0.03 30 0.03 2 0.04 1 0.00 0 0.04 3 0.03 24 0.00 0
Peterborough 0.12 46 0.04 3 0.10 2 0.00 0 0.19 6 0.12 32 0.00 0
Plymouth 0.11 45 0.18 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.15 2 0.12 41 0.00 0
Portsmouth 0.03 9 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.04 9 0.00 0
Reading 0.06 15 0.02 1 0.05 1 0.00 0 0.18 5 0.07 8 0.00 0
Redbridge 0.06 35 0.04 13 0.21 11 0.00 0 0.06 3 0.05 6 0.10 1
Redcar and Cleveland 0.31 66 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.31 63 0.00 0
Richmond upon Thames 0.02 5 0.00 0 0.12 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.02 4 0.00 0
Rochdale 0.20 74 0.07 7 0.15 3 0.00 0 0.14 3 0.25 57 0.18 1
Rotherham 0.12 52 0.03 1 0.13 1 0.00 0 0.19 3 0.12 47 0.00 0
Rutland 0.15 9 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.49 1 0.13 7 0.00 0
Salford 0.10 37 0.00 0 0.15 4 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.12 32 0.00 0
Sandwell 0.09 54 0.04 7 0.13 8 0.00 0 0.12 7 0.11 30 0.00 0
Sefton 0.08 32 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.08 31 0.23 1
Sheffield 0.11 92 0.07 7 0.12 7 0.00 0 0.23 16 0.11 59 0.06 2
Shropshire 0.14 54 0.00 0 0.00 0 1.27 1 0.44 5 0.13 47 0.00 0
Slough 0.08 25 0.02 4 0.13 3 0.00 0 0.16 6 0.13 10 0.15 2
Solihull 0.09 37 0.05 3 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.17 6 0.09 25 0.00 0
Somerset 0.14 98 0.09 1 0.00 0 0.71 1 0.28 6 0.13 89 0.32 1
South Gloucestershire 0.07 28 0.00 0 0.21 2 0.00 0 0.13 3 0.07 23 0.00 0
South Tyneside 0.10 22 0.11 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.14 1 0.10 20 0.00 0
Southampton 0.04 15 0.04 2 0.07 1 0.00 0 0.04 1 0.05 11 0.00 0
Southend-on-Sea 0.03 10 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.04 10 0.00 0
Southwark 0.01 5 0.00 0 0.01 1 0.00 0 0.04 2 0.02 2 0.00 0
St. Helens 0.09 25 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 25 0.00 0
Staffordshire 0.11 137 0.07 4 0.29 3 0.00 0 0.30 15 0.10 112 0.00 0
Stockport 0.13 56 0.03 1 0.15 1 0.00 0 0.27 7 0.13 45 0.38 2
Stockton-on-Tees 0.12 38 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.13 38 0.00 0
Stoke-on-Trent 0.14 56 0.18 12 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.27 6 0.13 38 0.00 0
Suffolk 0.14 147 0.05 1 0.18 2 0.00 0 0.23 14 0.14 126 0.00 0
Sunderland 0.12 47 0.00 0 0.29 2 0.00 0 0.12 1 0.12 43 0.60 1
Surrey 0.07 107 0.01 1 0.09 3 0.00 0 0.08 9 0.07 89 0.05 1
Sutton 0.11 45 0.03 3 0.12 4 0.00 0 0.26 11 0.13 26 0.11 1
Swindon 0.11 40 0.02 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.14 3 0.13 35 0.00 0
Tameside 0.19 71 0.04 2 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.26 6 0.21 61 0.26 1
Telford and Wrekin 0.09 28 0.16 4 0.06 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.09 23 0.00 0
Thurrock 0.06 18 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.04 1 0.08 16 0.00 0
Torbay 0.20 40 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.14 1 0.20 38 0.00 0
Tower Hamlets 0.02 9 0.02 5 0.07 3 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.02 1 0.00 0
Trafford 0.10 42 0.01 1 0.21 4 0.00 0 0.27 10 0.10 27 0.00 0
Wakefield 0.10 52 0.04 1 0.10 1 0.00 0 0.05 1 0.10 47 0.00 0
Walsall 0.09 49 0.02 3 0.15 5 0.00 0 0.18 7 0.10 31 0.26 2
Waltham Forest 0.06 25 0.02 2 0.17 12 0.00 0 0.07 4 0.03 5 0.12 2
Wandsworth 0.03 10 0.00 0 0.08 5 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.03 4 0.06 1
Warrington 0.03 11 0.00 0 0.32 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.03 9 0.00 0
Warwickshire 0.10 86 0.02 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.12 6 0.10 73 0.00 0
West Berkshire 0.06 17 0.00 0 0.23 1 0.00 0 0.07 1 0.06 14 0.00 0
West Northamptonshire 0.06 42 0.02 1 0.07 3 0.00 0 0.06 3 0.07 35 0.00 0
West Sussex 0.07 86 0.03 2 0.20 4 0.00 0 0.18 12 0.07 65 0.00 0
Westminster 0.02 4 0.00 0 0.10 4 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0
Wigan 0.16 76 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.58 8 0.15 65 0.16 1
Wiltshire 0.00 3 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.00 0
Windsor and Maidenhead 0.12 28 0.09 3 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.23 5 0.13 20 0.00 0
Wirral 0.07 38 0.00 0 0.35 1 0.00 0 0.06 1 0.08 36 0.00 0
Wokingham 0.04 12 0.00 0 0.40 4 0.00 0 0.04 1 0.04 7 0.00 0
Wolverhampton 0.16 79 0.05 6 0.24 14 0.00 0 0.41 24 0.14 32 0.27 2
Worcestershire 0.13 110 0.12 4 0.32 2 0.00 0 0.29 10 0.13 91 0.00 0
York 0.04 11 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.10 1 0.04 10 0.00 0

Download table data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV)

Summary of Permanent exclusions Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and local authority Summary

The data shows that:

  • the permanent exclusion rate was highest in Redcar and Cleveland (0.31, or 31 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • the highest rate for white pupils was also in Redcar and Cleveland (0.31, or 31 exclusions for every 10,000 pupils)
  • data for other ethnic groups is based on small numbers of exclusions and pupils, so generalisations are not reliable

7. Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and reason

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Percentage and number of permanent exclusions, by ethnicity and reason
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
Reason All % All Number Asian % Asian Number Black % Black Number Chinese % Chinese Number Mixed % Mixed Number White % White Number Other % Other Number
Abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity 0.3 23 0.3 1 0.4 2 0.0 0 0.1 1 0.3 18 0.0 0
Abuse relating to disability 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0
Bullying 0.9 78 1.3 5 0.9 4 0.0 0 1.1 9 0.9 58 0.0 0
Damage 2.9 254 1.1 4 2.2 10 0.0 0 2.9 23 3.1 210 2.9 3
Drug and alcohol related 5.2 452 8.2 31 6.6 30 50.0 2 5.2 41 4.9 328 5.9 6
Inappropriate use of social media or online technology 1.2 108 1.8 7 1.5 7 0.0 0 1.1 9 1.2 79 2.0 2
Persistent disruptive behaviour 35.1 3,050 21.1 80 28.2 129 0.0 0 33.7 264 36.9 2,491 23.5 24
Physical assault against a pupil 16.6 1,441 24.2 92 20.1 92 25.0 1 19.0 149 15.7 1,059 19.6 20
Physical assault against an adult 11.6 1,011 11.6 44 9.8 45 25.0 1 12.0 94 11.8 797 10.8 11
Racist abuse 0.6 53 0.3 1 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.4 3 0.7 48 0.0 0
Sexual misconduct 1.6 141 3.4 13 3.3 15 0.0 0 2.3 18 1.3 85 2.9 3
Theft 0.5 46 0.5 2 0.7 3 0.0 0 0.6 5 0.5 35 1.0 1
Use or threat of use of an offensive weapon or prohibited item 6.3 549 13.2 50 10.5 48 0.0 0 6.6 52 5.3 360 16.7 17
Verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour against a pupil 5.2 449 4.5 17 7.4 34 0.0 0 5.5 43 5.0 341 4.9 5
Verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour against an adult 11.7 1,016 8.7 33 7.9 36 0.0 0 9.1 71 12.4 838 9.8 10
Wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health 0.2 18 0.0 0 0.4 2 0.0 0 0.3 2 0.2 12 0.0 0

Download table data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and reason’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and reason’ (CSV)

Summary of Permanent exclusions Permanent exclusions by ethnicity and reason Summary

Schools can record up to 3 reasons for each permanent exclusion, in no order. Because of this, the total number of reasons does not match the total number of permanent exclusions. For each ethnic group, the percentage is calculated out of the total reasons, not all pupils.

The data shows that:

  • 35.1% of all permanent exclusions were for persistent disruptive behaviour, and 16.6% were for physical assault against a pupil
  • the least common reasons were abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity (0.3%) and wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health (0.2%), and there were no exclusions relating to disability
  • persistent disruptive behaviour was the most common reason why pupils in the white (36.9%), black (28.2%) and mixed (33.7%) ethnic groups were excluded
  • physical assault against a pupil was the most common reason why Asian pupils (24.2%) were excluded

8. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Administrative data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Department for Education

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

The data helps schools, local authorities and the government have a greater understanding of the level of exclusions and suspensions and the reasons for them.

9. Download the data

Permanent exclusions reasons 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 56 KB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, reason (for exclusion), value (percentage), value_type, numerator, denominator

Permanent exclusions national 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 224 KB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, type_of_school, value (exclusion rate), value_type, numerator (number of exclusions), denominator (pupils)

Permanent exclusions local authority 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 2 MB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, geography, geography_type, geography_code, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, type_of_school, value (exclusion rate), value_type, numerator (number of exclusions), denominator (pupils)

Publication release date: 8 February 2024

full page history
  1. Updated with data for the 2021 to 2022 school year. Some data for 2011 to 2012 was revised.

From: Department for Education

Previous edition:
  1. Edition published on 7 February 2023
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