School Exclusion Policy in Scotland: Investigating Policy Levers, Drivers and Warrants

What is it about?

Does national policy make a difference to school exclusion rates?_x000D_ _x000D_ School exclusion is a serious issue for governments across the UK and internationally. It matters because school exclusion can lead to poor outcomes in education and in adult life. This has consequences and costs for individuals, families, communities and society. In some areas of the world, school exclusion is not permitted at all. In others such as the UK, North America and Australia, it has a long history in education. Surprisingly then, there has been very little research which looks across different countries to try to understand if national policy makes a difference, even though there is good evidence to show that exclusion rates can vary a lot from country to country. _x000D_ _x000D_ Our study looked at Scotland, which has seen a very sharp decline in school exclusion rates in recent years. It now has much lower levels of exclusion than its closest neighbour, England. Our study showed that an emphasis on punishment in policy has been replaced over time with a focus on the need for a positive school ethos and a restorative approach. This indicates the central role of policy in helping to change what happens in schools in practice – and how this focus could help tackle high rates of exclusion in other countries. _x000D_

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