Pupil exclusions from 2019 - 2023
Case reference FOI2024/00389
Published 11 March 2024
Request
Can I please request the following information:
- How many pupil exclusion requests have been made to the local authority from primary schools in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019?
- How many pupil exclusion requests have been made to the local authority from secondary schools in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019?
For both school types, can you please tell me:
- If the request was granted or denied by the local authority?
- If the request was denied by the local authority, what reason was given why?
- If the school was local authority run (maintained) or in a trust?
If answering this request will go over budget, can you please answer the first four bullet points (exclude the query about trust or maintained school).
Response
Can I please request the following information:
- How many pupil exclusion requests have been made to the local authority from primary schools in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019?
- How many pupil exclusion requests have been made to the local authority from secondary schools in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019?
For both school types, can you please tell me:
- If the request was granted or denied by the local authority?
- If the request was denied by the local authority, what reason was given why?
- If the school was local authority run (maintained) or in a trust?
If answering this request will go over budget, can you please answer the first four bullet points (exclude the query about trust or maintained school).
A) The power to suspend or exclude a pupil from a maintained school rests with the Head teacher of the establishment. The local authority is not requested to grant or deny a pupil suspension or exclusion.
The number of exclusions and suspensions recorded in each local authority area and by each maintained school within the local authority is published as part of National Statistics. Both the type and reason for exclusion is published as well as the suspension and exclusion rate.
The data is published on GOV.UK and published under the title: "Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England". The most recent publication covers suspensions and exclusions up to and including 2021-2022 academic year and can be found via the following link: Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England: 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Data for academic year 2022-2023 is due to be published in July 2024: Permanent exclusions and suspensions from schools: 2022 to 2023 - National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The "Download all data (ZIP)" facility can be used to download all of the data files within the publication. The CSV file titled "exc_school_20230808" shows the school level data. Using a filter Herefordshire local authority can be selected.
For each establishment, the data indicates whether this is an academy or a local authority maintained school. It also shows the academy trust where this is relevant to the establishment.
As this information is publically available on the Gov.uk website via the links provided above, we consider this information to be exempt under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 because it is reasonably accessible to you via other means. Please take this letter as a refusal notice under S17 of the Act.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.