The School Exclusions Hub provides legal, advocacy and community organisations with the knowledge and tools they need to support young people who are facing exclusion from school.
- How the School Exclusions Hub works;
- Where to start;
- Finding an answer to a query or finding a resource;
- Does the Hub cover discrimination cases?
1. How the School Exclusions Hub Works
The School Exclusions Hub breaks the process of challenging exclusions into stages, with guides and resources being found at each stage. There are three stages on the Hub. These are:
- After the headteacher's decision to exclude. This stage includes:
- Obtaining the school file and records held by other services;
- Speaking to the family to get the information you need;
- Trying to avoid a permanent exclusion An exclusion that results in the young person being removed from the school register and barred from the school’s campus indefinitely. by working with the school and local authority A borough, county or city council that has responsibility for providing education to children in their area. to find an alternative.
- Challenging the exclusion at the governors' hearing. This stage includes
- The appeal and reconsideration: This stage includes:
- Following up with the governors and deciding whether to request an appeal by way of independent review panel;
- Preparing written arguments for the independent review panel;
- Attending the independent review panel;
- Following up from the independent review panel and approaching the governors’ reconsideration.
At each stage, you’ll find guides and downloadable resources to make sure you have the information and tools you need to support the families you work with.
There are four types of resource on the School Exclusions Hub.
These are:
- Quick-Guides take the legal theory and principles of best practice from a range of sources and bring them together into one place. They explain how the law applies to exclusions challenges and provide the knowledge needed to understand why the Step-by-Step Guides recommend approaching tasks in a particular way.
- Step-by-Step Guides each cover a different stage of the school exclusions process. They break that stage down into manageable, practical steps. Each step is supported by essential information, links to further guidance and the downloadable resources needed to complete that step.
- Template Documents are premade documents. There are a range of Template Documents on the Hub, from Forms of Authority to enable you to request records on a young person's behalf; to a template set of submissions, for you to arrange your legal arguments to a govenrors' panel or independent review panel.
- Suggested Wording documents each contain a set of paragraphs that you can use in a range of correspondence or to make arguments to the panels. Each Suggested Wording requires you to complete it with key information, and in some circumstances to choose the best paragraph out of several options to fit your circumstances. You can then take the paragraphs you are left with and copy them into an email, letter or Template Document as relevant.
Template Documents and Suggested Wording documents are downloadable and you will need to be signed into the Hub to access them. You can create an account for free.
2. Where to start
If you are just getting started with the Hub, it is recommended that you start at an introduction to the process of school exclusions.
The Hub is supported by a help-line that can help you with the website and with legal and practice queries relating to school exclusions.
The help-line can also support you through starting out with the hub and may be able to arrange an introductory session to get your organisation started.
Call Just for Kids Law on 0203 174 2279, and ask to speak to a member of the School Exclusions Hub team.
3. Finding an answer to a query and finding a resource
If you know what information or resource you are looking for, use the menu at the side of this page to navigate to the right stage. You will then be able to find the Step-by-Step Guide or Quick-Guide that you need. Alternatively, use the search option at the top of this page to find pages relating to keywords.
If you are looking for a definition you can find it in the Glossary.
If you are looking for a downloadable resource, you can find it in the Resource Library.
Does the Hub cover discrimination cases?
The School Exclusions Hub contains information on discrimination, and the resources to argue cases of discrimination before school governors and independent review panels. It does not include information or resources on the process of the First Tier Tribunal A judicial body that will hear appeals against exclusions if the family believe the young person has been the victim of discrimination on the basis of disability. or County Court. Young people who believe they have been the victim of discrimination should speak with a lawyer who can provide them with advice.
Cases in the County Court or First Tier Tribunal A judicial body that will hear appeals against exclusions if the family believe the young person has been the victim of discrimination on the basis of disability. can run simultaneously to challenges in governors’ hearings and independent review panels. You do not need to stop supporting a young person through this process because they are looking to bring a discrimination claim.
To get discrimination advice, young people can use the Just for Kids Law referral form. Alternatively, young people can use the Law Society's Find a Solicitor service to find an advisor near them.