World News
Secondary school internal exclusions nearly triple over three years in England
School management data shows classroom removals rising to 13%, with disadvantaged and special needs students disproportionately affected.
The short version
- The share of secondary school pupils placed in internal exclusion in England rose from 5% in 2022/23 to 13% in 2025/26, according to data from school software provider Arbor.
- Disadvantaged students and those with special educational needs and disabilities face significantly higher rates of classroom removal.
- Unlike formal suspensions and permanent exclusions, the UK government does not officially collect national figures on on-site internal isolations.
- Education policy researchers and children's advocates are calling for greater transparency and oversight regarding how classroom removals are applied.
Key facts
- Data from management information software provider Arbor indicates that internal exclusions in England's secondary schools increased from 5% of pupils in 2022/2023 to 13% in 2025/2026.[The Guardian]
- In the 2025/2026 academic year, 22% of disadvantaged secondary pupils experienced internal exclusion, compared to 10% of non-disadvantaged peers.[The Guardian]
- Among pupils with an education, health and care plan for special educational needs and disabilities, 18% were removed from class at least once during 2025/2026.[The Guardian]
- The UK Department for Education tracks formal external suspensions and expulsions but does not routinely collect data on internal removals that keep pupils on school grounds.[The Guardian]
- Internal exclusions in primary schools affected under 1% of pupils in 2025/2026, totaling nearly 5,000 recorded under-11 students within Arbor's network.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- The comprehensive national total of internal exclusions across England is unknown because Arbor's system covers roughly 13,000 schools and official government statistics do not record the practice.[The Guardian]
- It remains unverified whether the increase in internal exclusions directly accounts for the recent drop in official Department for Education figures for formal suspensions.[The Guardian]