On the sixth day...

This is a reminder to colleagues that from 1 September, schools must provide 'suitable full-time education from the sixth day of any period of fixed term exclusion of six days or longer'.

ASCL made rigorous representation and won the argument that this should relate to individual exclusions, not aggregated days over the year. However, clearly there are serious issues surrounding this impractical piece of legislation and ASCL Council in June discussed these in detail.

It is worthwhile members reading ' Day Six Provision for Excluded Pupils from September 2007: Questions raised at regional workshops in Spring 2007' which is on www.teachernet.gov.uk

To comply with the law, the education should be provided off site, with appropriate supervision for a similar amount of time as the student would have within the school.

Money has been given to the local authorities to support this change to present circumstances. Some local authorities have delegated this to schools. However, the amount (to be found as an Appendix in the guidance) is pitifully small and would not support the requirements we have to meet.

Officials at the DfES suggest that you could send your excluded student to another school's library. One local authority suggested sending them to local primary schools for their education.

Some of you may be in a position of having special units off site or perhaps having joint agreements within collaborations. Others may feel that their choice is now a five-day exclusion or a permanent exclusion.

We are looking for creative ideas to help ASCL members keep to the law. If you have any, please send an email to april.perrie@ascl.org.uk and we will share them.

Jane Lees, Public and Parliamentary Committee Chair