Vulnerable girls missing from school exclusion figures

A new report from Social Finance has revealed that girls who are ‘informally’ excluded are absent from official school exclusion statistics, whereas boys are much more likely to go through formal processes.

The research, for Cheshire West and Chester Council reveals a possible blind spot in exclusion statistics, as girls were found to be much less likely than boys to experience formal exclusions but more likely to experience ‘informal’ exclusions such as school change or early exit.

Exclusion rates in Cheshire West and Chester are below the national average, but after seeing an increase in 2017/18 and noticing a change in the nature of exclusions the council partnered with Social Finance to try to understand who was at risk of exclusion and how best to support them.

Formal permanent exclusions rely on a panel decision made with involvement from the school, governors, the council and the child’s parent/carer. The decision is recorded in schools’ data, along with the reason for exclusion. This can trigger support for the child and parents or carers have the right to request a review of the decision. ‘Informal’ exclusions do not result in flags against a child’s name in the way formal ones do. But they also do not result in the same processes that provide accountability checks and balances for the child and parent/carer. This means girls may be missing out on support available to excluded children.

The reason for this gender disparity is unclear and requires further research. The study found that boys were more likely to receive a formal exclusion for every reason, even when other factors were controlled for. Proportionately, formal fixed term exclusions for girls are more likely to be recorded as due to ‘disruptive behaviour’ (45 per cent) than boys (33 per cent). Whereas physical or verbal abuse account for 41 per cent of recorded fixed term exclusions for girls and 47 per cent for boys, failing to explain the difference in statistics.

Bob Cernik, cabinet member for Children and Families at Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “In west Cheshire we understand how damaging exclusion can be for children and young people, their families and carers, and how this can have a long-term impact for everyone involved. Although our exclusion rates are below the national average, we wanted to challenge ourselves to really understand which pupils are most at risk and how we can better support them.”

Sara Parsonage, AssociateDirector at Social Finance, said: “Nationally, we need to use data to look beyond only formal exclusions. Otherwise, we risk keeping girls ‘invisible’ in our data and in our responses. We cannot allow gender bias to prevent girls from getting the vital support they need. We found that absenteeism increases around the time of an informal or formal exclusion and does not recover afterwards. This questions the usefulness of exclusion as a disciplinary measure for  vulnerable children.We need to better understand the relationship between absenteeism and a child’s needs.This is hugely important in the context of Covid-19 as schools return.”