Bristol schools could stop excluding students

Bristol's youth mayors Anika Mistry and Jeremiah Dom-Ogbonna are calling on schools to stop excluding students, instead offering more support to keep young people on the right path.

Bristol mayor Marvin Rees also expressed interest in the idea during a Bristol City Council cabinet meeting, according to the BBC.

He said: "It's very close to me because I had a member of my family excluded from school and thrown into educational limbo, and there was nobody to help him," he said.

"It was only because of the brothers and sisters around that we were able to rally around him.

"We need to find a way of supporting schools, but we need to find a way of making sure the education system is a home to every child within the city as well."

Anika Mistry and Jeremiah Dom-Ogbonna, Bristol's youth mayors said: "Often the decision for an exclusion isn't justifiable, and concerns have been raised about the link between exclusions and race, where institutional racism could be a factor.

"We want young people to be appreciated and feel that they have support when they need it rather than becoming isolated."