Permanent exclusion

[Dextrose]

Our son has been permanently excluded for low level misbehaviour from his independent school. He is in Year 11 with GCSE's next May. He is scheduled to get 10 good GCSE's he has been out of School for three weeks now. Every school we try to get him into doesn't want to know and the LEA are not really helping at all. He is vey remorseful and just wants to take his GCSE's to enable him to do an ITC BTEC next year. We are getting desperate as time is of the essence now.

Has anyone else had this experience?

If there is a space in the school, they have to take him I think. We have certainly had students join us in year 11 for similar reasons. However, it is highly likely there will be issues with him continuing the same courses as he was doing before. We have had to try to get students up to speed on a different specification, 4 terms into a course, no controlled assessments.

What a horrible situation for you.

Have you talked to his previous school about the exclusion? It seems over the top for low level misbehaviour. There should also be some sort of appeal route via the governors, though independent schools are much less tightly regulated in is regard than state schools.

From day six onwards the la have to provide him with an education. You can apply elsewhere as well but the la should be working with you. Did you contest the exclusion? Not sure if the legal guidance applies about appealing as it's an independent- is there anything you signed or in the bumf about appealing?

You'll have to lean (hard) on the LEA - who have a duty to find him a place.

The snag might be however in finding a school doing the same board GCSE. Any chance his old school would enter him to the exams and let him sit them there, even if he is not allowed on the premises at other times?

Thank you for your reply.

School in catchment area is an Academy apparently they don't have to take him. They won't talk to us or the LEA about our application!

Ring round state schools and see who has places, then lean on the LEA.

Our local indies are notorious for excluding in for year 11. Anyone who is deemed a risk to their GCSE pass rate either on ability or behaviour gets kicked out.

The academy may have to take him (if they have a vacancy they must) but only the LEA can force them to do so if they are full, but that would only happen if there was no other school within a reasonable distance (up to 1 hour travel) with a vacancy.

You simply haven't got the time to faff around with appeals or admissions fights though. Anywhere that will enter him, in time, for the right exams is all you need.

Can I suggest that whilst your pressurising the LEA you also go back to your independent school and appeal through to the governors. See whether they will at the very least let him sit the core subjects even if he just comes into school to do the exams then use the money you would have spent on fees to get tutors.
It's absolutely outrageous for a school to expel him at this stage in his education I've seen yr 11's/12's/13's expelled before but most when at the equivalent stage are told they will have to go after they've sat heir exams unless they've done something truly awful not a "low level misdemeanour" although of course many independent schools are significantly less tolerant than some state schools for example many run random weekly drug tests of pupils and positive tests will result in expulsion.

We would permanently exclude for constant low level disruption , if previous sanctions , including a number of short term exclusions had not worked. No student is IME permanently excluded without a clear warning that this could happen.

Probably before a permanent exclusion we may have looked at a move to a learning centre or a managed move elsewhere,

We are an academy, and we have to take students at any point when we are not at our PAN.

Can he not take the exams at the school? Don't the LEA have to help?

I thought the catchment school - LEA or academy had to take pupils
kids excluded from non catchement state schools are bumped into their catchment school
and if teh catchment school excludes I believe it HAS to arrange the replacement place

the fee paying school will not let him back in - use your energy on the state schools

and get to the bottom of the permanent exclusion : state schools use it asa last resort after ALL other sanctions have not worked

NB
Gove has largely dismantled LEAs : that is the whole point of the Academy / Free school programme

If you can still afford it, what about a crammer?

Academies have to abide by the same admissions policy as any other LEA school.

I did my retakes at a crammer : it was great fun

Gove has NOT largely dismantled LEAs, just reduced their responsibilities somewhat. They remain responsible for finding you a place. The academy must give your son a place if there is one available. If there are no schools with places within a reasonable distance the LA should invoke its Fair Access Protocol under which they can force any school (including the academy) to take your son even if they are full. You won't get to choose which school they go for but you can appeal for your preferred schools (including the academy).

As the academy is refusing to talk to you I would tell them that unless they either admit your son or issue a formal rejection including notification of your right to appeal you will refer them to the EFA (Education Funding Agency) for a clear breach of their funding agreement.

A friend's son had the same problem almost 10 years ago, he was also expelled for low level misbehaviour from independent school, and she was not able to get him in anywhere locally. He ended up going down a year and going to boarding school to sit GCSEs

You don't say what this "low level misdemeanour" was, whether it was a one off; sex on the premises and drugs are usually not tolerated in the independent sector and even model high achieving pupils have been expelled for this. Or whether there is a long history or "low level misdemeanours". Frankly if it's sex or drugs I doubt they'll let him back having expelled him, especially if they have a very clear policy on this, they're making him an example although as I said above I would push for him to be allowed to sit the exams at school. If it's a long history of low level misdemeanours you might be more lucky a letter etc as suggested by tiggy might work.

Hi OP have you tried local colleges. Many people aren't aware most colleges offer 1 year GCSE courses to 15-16 year olds. I went to one at my local college - and a lot of the children there had been excluded, or had been bullied or other reasons for leaving - But in my experience, it was a good call as there was a real mix of children in a more adult environment without the uptight teachers and some rules that are nonsense which teenagers find resticting to their growing indivisuality. It was a small group of us and we all did well in our GCSES's.

Just a thought - hope you find somewhere soon. X