10 yr old son expelled from school today

[Edinburghschool2026]

This isn't a aibu but wanted the traffic.

My ds10 was expelled from school today. We are in Edinburgh and it's a state school. Could anyone with experience with Edinburgh Council explain how serious this is? Also What options there is.

Thank you

A fixed term exclusion is very different. As frustrating and heart breaking as it is, sometimes schools need the fixed exclusions to prove they can’t meet the child’s needs. It can give them more evidence to support a special school place.

I’m England so there may be some difference but many similarities.

So a few days suspension is called a fixed term exclusion in England.

They are used when a pupil have presented a danger and are meant to be time for the school to put things in place and a meeting should be held before he returns to discuss these.

If his SEN is so severe the can’t meet need as awful as it is for you to watch and experience as a parent reduced timetables and fixed term exclusions will help the case that the school isn’t the right setting for your son and they can’t provide an environment and education he can access.

im not sure about Scotland but in the UK any longer than 15 days then they have to find an alternative provision which could be an alternative resource provision (you may call them different things).

It’s great the school are doing all they can and that you have a great relationship with them. It’ll make work g together to get your son what he needs much easier.

I hope everyone is ok and your son gets a school he can access and be settled at soon.

https://www.ipsea.org.uk/pages/category/exclusion-from-school

Not sure how much is relevant to Scotland though

If true that is very very unlucky https://www.gov.scot/publications/school-exclusion-statistics/

https://enquire.org.uk/

So he’s been suspended, he can return after the fixed period has expired. That’s much less bad.

How refreshing to see a parent who isn't entitled and asking for the school's arse on a plate. Wish there were more like you.

Children are not excluded from school in Scotland so...

Does he have SEN?

Does he have an EHCP?

Those don't exist in Scotland. Just like expulsion and permanent exclusion don't exist.

I'm not sure why you're posting tbh.

The school are great, you know why he's been temp excluded (not expelled!) surely the school would be able to fully answer the questions you've posed in your OP. They'd be able to tell "how serious it is" and what to do?

Yes. Where have you got the expression 'Expelled' from?

Work WITH the school to find a setting that works for him. Contact Legal Aid to find out if there's a law firm that specialises in education law. There's one here in Glasgow, Govan Law Firm, who were phenomenal when I was fighting for DS3's alternative pathway due to ASN. We won.

Permanent exclusion in practice is pretty rare.

I have four DCs. Out of these I would say that one has been permanently excluded from three schools, one from two schools, one from one school and one from none.

On the other hand, technically, none of them have been permanently excluded, as on each occasion we were called in by the headmaster/headmistress to have the "we don't think our school is the right fit for your child" conversation (i.e. jump before you are pushed) so officially we withdrew from the school and found an alternative. Don't get me wrong, this still feels just like exclusion but means you get to keep your child's school record clean and saves the school a shed load of paperwork.

If your DC is on this path OP I feel for you and wish you the best, but you may want to start looking at alternatives.

I know people are trying to help, but again the presumption that everything is the same as in England.

It's also ASN here, not SEN.

God forbid a mother should post on Mumsnet, about her child, asking for advice

Not pretty rare, it doesn't happen. A child would literally have to be in Polmont (which also closed to under 18s recently because Scotland is insane).

OP I know you want traffic but you might be better moving this to Scotsnet as SEN provision is different in England and a lot of the replies you get will probably relate to the English system.

Is Kaimes school an option, OP? I know the acting head there and he's very good.

@Edinburghschool2026 im not experienced in the Scottish system but I do have experience within thw English system.

So with a temporary exclusion in england, honestly very little would happen. It is basically what used to be classed as suspension. He would not be permitted in or around the school building for the set number of days he is excluded for. He wpuld also not be allowed to be seen out the house during school hours, so things like soft play park etc.

If the school are doing everything they can to support him and it isnt enough then the next steps are purely pushing for a specialist placement. Permanent Exclusion used to be an almost surefire way of getting that but unfortunately there just aren't the places anymore.

About the most that could happen is an urgent review of his EHCP and a request to reevaluate it.

But why, when it clearly states the OP is in Edinburgh? And it's not SEN, It's ASN- additional support needs.

Again, we don't have EHCPs here. It's Scotland, we're another country.

Wow. We should have moved to Scotland. That would have saved my kids a lot of moving schools over the years.

No experience @Edinburghschool2026
just support. 🩷💐

Actually, the nomenclature in Scotland is 'exclusion', but you're right in the sense that no child in Scotland should be permanently excluded from education.

I was in middle management in a Scottish secondary but in a different local authority. We spoke of 'temporary exclusions'. My LA did not allow permanent exclusions.

In ours, the child would sometimes be offered a whole-school transfer within the region, to allow them to access their education in a school which was a better fit. Sometimes a support hub or unit would also be involved.

However - at least in our area - this could only happen with the agreement of the parent.

From what the OP has said, this might be an opportunity for their child to be given a transfer to a specialist school - if a place is available. The problem in our LA was that places were so scarce that they were often only offered to children with the most profound needs. I don't know what the situation is in the Edinburgh area.