Your Rights When Your Child Is Excluded

You have the right to make written representations to the Discipline Committee of the Governing Body about any exclusion.  If the exclusion is for more than 5 days in any one term and less than 15 days you can ask to attend a meeting of the Committee when the exclusion will be considered.

If the exclusion is for more that 15 days in any one term then you will be invited to a meeting of the Governors Discipline Committee where the exclusion(s) will be reviewed.  The school will let you know the details.  You can take a friend along to help you if you wish, you may provide written information to be circulated to the Discipline Committee, and you must be allowed to ask questions and say what you think about the exclusion.  You may also wish your child to give his or her side of the story to the Committee.  You are entitled to receive a copy of any information circulated  to the Discipline Committee by the school.

If the exclusion is for a fixed period of 5 days or less (including any previous exclusions earlier in the term) the Discipline Committee cannot direct the headteacher to re-admit your child before the end of the exclusion period.  The Committee can, however, come to a view on whether or not the exclusion was appropriate.

For longer fixed period exclusions, the Discipline Committee will either allow your child back in school or agree with the headteacher's decision.  You must be told of the decision as soon as possible after the meeting and this should be confirmed in writing.  This settles the matter if the exclusion is a fixed one.  There is no further right of appeal.

If the exclusion is permanent, however, and the Discipline Committee decides to agree with the headteacher's decision, the clerk to the meeting will write to inform you of the decision.  You then have 15 school days to sumbit an appeal to an independant appeals panel.  The excluding school will provide you with the contact and address details of where to lodge your appeal.

If you do not appeal with the 15 days the permanent exclusion will stand and cannot be changed.