Introduction
Coram Children’s Legal Centre, in collaboration with volunteers from law firms, runs the School Exclusion Clinic, which offers free legal representation to parents or carers of children and young people who have been permanently excluded from a school in London.
If you would like to make a referral, please complete this form as soon as possible after receiving the letter from the school confirming the permanent exclusion. Include as much relevant information as possible so that we can review your case. Please be aware that we cannot guarantee representation and that representation may be provided by a supervised volunteer.
For more information on how we collect and use the personal data provided in this referral form, please click here to read our privacy policy.
Capacity
We recognise the critical need for additional support for children who are excluded from school. Unfortunately, our team is very small. Due to capacity, we cannot guarantee that we will respond to all referral forms and will only be able to take on a limited number of referrals.
Are we eligible to request representation?
This clinic is currently available to children and young people who have been permanently excluded from a London-based:
- maintained school (including special schools);
- academy school (including free schools, special schools, and alternative provision academies);
- pupil referral unit (PRU); or
- sixth form attached to a maintained school or academy school.
Unfortunately, we are unable to provide representation if:
- The case concerns a suspension (fixed-term exclusion) rather than a permanent exclusion.
- The child or young person has received a permanent exclusion from a school outside of London.
- The child or young person has been excluded from an independent school, nursery, city technology college, further education college, standalone sixth form college, 16-19 academy, 16-19 free school, or university.
- A legal representative has already been instructed.
- The exclusions process has already been exhausted.
Where can we receive help if we are not eligible?
We recognise that going through an exclusion is difficult for families, and we hope to expand our School Exclusion Clinic in the future. Please browse this website for template letters and step-by-step instructions to help you navigate the appeal process. The following organisations may also be able to help:
Discrimination
Under the Equality Act 2010, it is unlawful to discriminate against others with certain protected characteristics, including race, religion or belief, age, disability, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, sex, sexual orientation, and gender reassignment. If you believe your case involves discrimination, we recommend that you contact a lawyer immediately for legal advice. Based on the circumstances, you may be eligible for legal aid. Please visit the resources listed below:
Notwithstanding the above, we will still accept referrals to School Exclusions Clinic if the case involves discrimination and meets the other criteria.
What happens next?
We understand that experiencing a school exclusion can be a stressful and anxious time for the family. Once we receive your referral form, we will review it and determine whether we can assist you with your case. Please be aware that due to capacity, we cannot guarantee that we will respond to all referral forms and will only be able to take on a limited number of referrals. Please do not submit multiple referral forms for the same child or young person. If we can assist you, we aim to respond to your referral form within seven days.
Have you used the School Exclusions Hub?
If so, we would appreciate your feedback so that we can better understand how this resource helped your case and make future improvements. Please click here to access the feedback form.
Please click here to access our privacy policy.
