Children with ALN in Wales are more likely to be excluded than those who do not have additional needs.
That’s just one of the shocking stats to come out of new figures released which digs into the issue of permanent and fixed-term exclusions in Wales.
We know that pupils who require additional support in Wales are currently being failed and it’s precisely why we have opened up our Welsh hub, to help parents navigate the complex system and get the support they need. You’ll find more details about all of that below.
What do the stats show?
The statistics cover the time period from September 2022 to August 2023 but the stats only came out a few weeks ago.
Across the board in all school types there’s been a rise in permanent exclusions but the numbers show that pupils are more likely to be excluded from an EOTAS provision for a fixed term than from any other school type.
Boys are consistently twice as likely to be excluded, both fixed term and permanent, than females.
Perhaps most stark is the realisation that pupils who have ADHD or behavioural, emotional and social difficulties are twice as likely to be excluded than any other need.
What does this mean?
Any rise in stats such as these are a clear indication that sufficient and targeted support is being missed. We know that children who are supported early and supported correctly will have a much easier time in school.
Behaviour is communication about unmet need.
A year on year rise in the number of exclusions should be a clear indication that things are not working. We know the problems with resource availability and limited funding but it also comes down to an inflexibility from schools who too often aren’t willing to do things differently from the way they’ve always been done.
Want to know more?
Stats like this show the need for us all to educate ourselves in what our child needs and what they should be getting. We’ve got a couple of webinars coming up which will really help with this.
On Thursday 21 November, Barrister Emma Waldron will be telling us all about disability discrimination. This is where your child is not getting what they need because of their disability. This infographic can show you more about what circumstances might constitute discrimination:
You can book onto the Understanding Disability Discrimination webinar by clicking here.
The second webinar, on Thursday 28 November, focuses on what is EOTIS. Sometimes we just know that school isn’t the right environment for our children and this webinar, led by our Head of Advocacy Kelly Jarvis, explains in detail what other options you can explore.
To book onto this webinar click here
Come and see us in Wales!
We have regular in-person social events, advice clinics and workshops in Wales to support you along with more bespoke advocacy and consultancy services for parents and professionals.
You’ll find all the details on our website https://sunshine-support.org/wales/
Alternatively, we have loads of webinars on the Sunshine Academy, you can sign up for this for just £10.99 per month. It’s a bit like Netflix in that your monthly subscription allows you access to everything that’s in there – and there are almost 200 courses for you to learn from.
