The Guardian – Sally Weale
“A significant number of schools who expel pupils are acting illegally, using discriminatory practices that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable children, a charity has claimed. The Communities Empowerment Network (CEN) made the claims as it published a study on the impact of exclusions. Mapping the Exclusion Process: Inequality, Justice and the Business of Education is a small-scale, qualitative study based on 26 in-depth interviews with parents, head teachers and local authority workers involved with and affected by exclusions in the London area, carried out over nine months. Although the overall number of children permanently excluded has fallen, the report claims too many exclusions are unlawful, and too often involve children with special educational needs and those from ethnic minorities. “There is a wilful, wasteful and discriminatory war on our children,” said Prof Gus John, the founder of CEN, who was the first black director of education at a London local education authority.”(more)