What is off-rolling?

Off‑rolling is defined by Ofsted as the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without a formal, permanent exclusion, or by encouraging a parent to do so, when the removal serves the interests of the school rather than the best interests of the pupil. Not all of the examples on this page of informal or unofficial exclusions would be considered off‑rolling, as the pupil may not actually be removed from the school roll. However, some of them do fall into that category.

Examples of informal or unofficial exclusions

Sending a pupil home to ‘cool off’

Paragraph 20 of the school exclusions guidance states:

An informal or unofficial exclusion, such as sending a pupil home ‘to cool off’, is unlawful when it does not follow the formal school exclusion process and regardless of whether it occurs with the agreement of parents.

Whenever a pupil is required to leave school or prevented from attending on disciplinary grounds, this must be carried out in accordance with the law on school exclusions.

Improper use of a part-time timetable

There is guidance on the use of part-time timetables in working together to improve school attendance, which states:

In very exceptional circumstances, where it is in a pupil’s best interests, there may be a need for a school to provide a pupil of compulsory school age with less than full-time education through a temporary part-time timetable to meet their individual needs. For example, where a medical condition prevents a pupil from attending school or another setting full-time and a part-time timetable is used to help the pupil access as much education as possible. A part-time timetable should not be used to manage a pupil’s behaviour.

A part-time timetable should:

• Have the agreement of both the school and the parent the pupil normally lives with.
• Have a clear ambition and be part of the pupil’s wider support, health care or reintegration plan.
• Have regular review dates which include the pupil and their parents to ensure it is only in place for the shortest time necessary.
• Have a proposed end date that takes into account the circumstances of the pupil, after which the pupil is expected to attend full-time, either at school or alternative provision. It can, however, be extended as part of the regular review process. In some limited cases, a pupil with a long-term health condition may require a part-time timetable for a prolonged period.

Where a school does not comply with the above, it may be considered an informal or unofficial exclusion. For example, this could include using a part-time timetable to manage behaviour, because the school can’t meet a pupil’s special educational needs, or if it is put in place indefinitely.

Improper use of a direction off-site

As explained in more detail on the page alternatives to exclusion, off-site direction (set out in Section 29A of the Education Act 2002 and The Education (Educational Provision for Improving Behaviour) Regulations 2010) allows a school to require a pupil to attend another setting temporarily to help improve their behaviour.

Examples of how off-site direction can be used improperly, potentially amounting to an informal or unofficial exclusion, include:

• Failing to set a fixed end date, or extending without cause, resulting in open‑ended off‑site placements.
• Not reviewing placements regularly or monitoring behavioural progress, which undermines the core purpose of off‑site direction.
• Using off‑site direction as a backdoor exclusion when there are insufficient grounds for a formal exclusion, or immediately following a cancelled exclusion or a reinstatement decision.

Improper use of a managed move

As explained in more detail on the page alternatives to exclusion, a managed move is a process to transfer a pupil from one mainstream school to another permanently, designed to give pupils at risk of permanent exclusion a fresh start.

Examples of how managed moves can be used improperly, potentially amounting to an informal or unofficial exclusion, include:

• The home school refusing to take back, or significantly delaying the return of, the pupil following the breakdown of a managed move.
• A school failing to obtain parental consent, or coercing a parent into agreeing to a managed move under the threat of permanent exclusion.

Delaying a pupil’s return to school

There are situations where a pupil may be out of school for a period of time, for example, due to authorised absence, exclusion, or while receiving alternative provision. However, if a school subsequently delays the pupil’s return without reasonable justification once that period has ended, this may amount to an informal or unofficial exclusion.

Exercising undue influence over a parent to remove their child from the school

Paragraphs 21 and 22 of the school exclusions guidance state:

A further example of off-rolling would be exercising undue influence over a parent to remove their child from the school under the threat of a permanent exclusion and encouraging them to choose Elective Home Education or to find another school place.

In line with the above, schools should not be exercising undue influence over a parent to deregister their child, as doing so would amount to off‑rolling and be considered an informal or unofficial exclusion.

Removing a pupil from sixth-form on academic grounds

Schools can set academic entry criteria for admission to sixth form. However, in the case of sixth‑form colleges attached to mainstream schools, the school exclusions guidance applies. This means that once a pupil is on the roll of the sixth form, they can only be excluded on disciplinary grounds. Sixth forms cannot exclude pupils on academic grounds. A common example is when schools tell pupils they cannot progress from Year 12 to Year 13 because they have not achieved the required grades. Schools cannot exclude, formally or informally, on this basis. This position was confirmed in a notable case back in 2017.