Introduction to the School Exclusions Hub

Who is the School Exclusions Hub aimed at? 

The School Exclusions Hub is currently aimed at professionals, charities, and community organisations. The reasoning behind this is to increase the capacity and capability of the advice sector in dealing with this area of law, which is particularly complex and can have such serious short-term and long-term implications. However, we do intend to develop new resources moving forward that are specifically aimed at children and families.

How does the School Exclusions Hub work? 

The School Exclusions Hub breaks the process of challenging exclusions into stages, with guides and resources at each stage. At each stage, you'll find guides and downloadable resources to make sure you have the information and tools you need to support the families you work with. There are four stages on the hub. These are:

• After the headteacher's decision to exclude
• Challenging the exclusion at the governing board hearing
• Challenging the exclusion at the independent review panel 
• After the exclusion is upheld

There are four types of resource on the School Exclusions Hub:

Quick-guides

These take the legal theory and principles of best practice from a range of sources and bring them together in one place. They explain how the law applies to exclusion challenges and provide the knowledge needed to understand why the Step-by-Step Guides recommend approaching tasks in a particular way.

Step-by-step guides

These each cover a different stage of the school exclusion process. They break that stage down into manageable, practical steps. Each step is supported by essential information, links to further guidance, and the downloadable resources needed to complete that step.

Template documents

These are premade documents. There are a range of template documents on the hub, from Forms of Authority to enable you to request records on a young person's behalf, to a template set of submissions for you to arrange your legal arguments to a governing board or independent review panel.

Suggested wording documents

These each contain a set of paragraphs that you can use in a range of correspondence or to make arguments to the panels. Each suggested wording requires you to complete it with key information and, in some circumstances, choose the best paragraph out of several options to fit your circumstances. You can then take the paragraphs you are left with and copy them into an email, letter, or template document as relevant.

Where to start? 

If you are just getting started with the Hub, it is recommended that you start here with the page introducing the law on school exclusion. 

Finding an answer to a query and finding a resource

If you know what information or resource you are looking for, use the menu at the top of the website to navigate to the right stage. You will then be able to find the step-by-step guide or quick guide that you need. 

If you are looking for a definition, you can find it in the glossary.

If you are looking for a downloadable resource, you can find it in the resource library.

Receiving personalised advice

The School Exclusions Hub is currently only an online resource. Please contact Coram Children Legal Centre's Child Law Advice Service to receive personalised advice. 

Does the Hub cover discrimination cases?

The School Exclusions Hub contains information on discrimination and the resources to argue cases of discrimination before school governors and independent review panels. It does not include information or resources on the processes of the First Tier Tribunal or County Court. Young people who believe they have been the victims of discrimination should speak with a lawyer who can provide them with advice.

Cases in the County Court or First Tier Tribunal can run concurrently with challenges in governing board hearings and independent review panels. You do not need to stop supporting a young person through this process because they are looking to bring a discrimination claim.