Exclusions
On this page:
- guidelines for suspensions and permanent exclusions
- Inclusion team contacts
- HCC model letters and forms for permanent exclusion and suspension
- funding provision for schools taking on permanently (off-roll) excluded pupils
- Timpson review of school exclusion
Guidelines for suspensions and permanent exclusions
The current statutory guidance from the DfE in relation to school exclusions is available at the following link:
DfE: School suspensions and permanent exclusions
Hertfordshire County Council guidelines on exclusion from maintained schools, academies and Education Support Centres:
The Inclusion team (Integrated Services for Learning)
Senior management team:
Name |
Title |
Contact details |
|
Richard Woodard |
Head of Access, Inclusion & Alternative Provision |
Richard.Woodard@hertfordshire.gov.uk 07812323103 Comnet: 83224 |
|
Loraine Clancy |
Inclusion Team Manager |
Loraine.Clancy@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01442 453084 07580 743273 Comnet: 83084 |
For matters relating to:
- Permanent exclusions
- Schools requesting support with an imminent permanent exclusion
- Fair Access Category 4 - managed moves/at risk of permanent exclusion
- Fair Access Category 1 - returners from ESC
Please contact for information relating to exclusions: exclusions@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Please contact for information relating to Fair Access: inclusion@hertfordshire.gov.uk
Name |
Area |
Contact details |
|
Anjana Walia (All year) |
Area Inclusion Manager (West) |
Anjana.Walia@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01442 453086 Comnet: 83086 |
|
Charlotte Sear (All year) |
Area Inclusion Manager (East) |
Charlotte.Sear@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 588724 Comnet: 28724 |
|
Melissa Garnham (All year)
|
Inclusion Officer and SEND Team Link Across County |
Melissa.Garnham@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 588695 Comnet: 28695 |
|
Victoria Blackford (All year) |
Inclusion Officer Welwyn and Hatfield (5) & Hertsmere (6) Secondary and Primary |
Victoria.Blackford@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01438 845840 Comnet: 55840 |
|
Emma Watkins (All year) |
Inclusion Officer Stevenage (2) Secondary |
Emma.Watkins@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 555865 Comnet: 25865 |
|
Dee Brady (All year) |
Inclusion Officer North Herts (1) Secondary and Primary Stevenage (2) Primary |
Dee.Brady@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 658067 Comnet: 58067 |
|
Francesca Holding (All year) |
Inclusion Officer Broxbourne (4) Secondary |
Francesca.Holding1@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 556502 Comnet: 26502 |
|
Edina Trefa (All year) |
Inclusion Officer St Albans & Dacorum (7&8) Secondary |
Edina.Trefa@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01438 843839 Comnet: 5389 |
|
Joshua Smyth (All year) |
Inclusion Officer Watford & Three Rivers (9) Primary and Secondary |
joshua.smyth@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 556747 Comnet: 26747 |
|
(All year) |
Inclusion Officer East Herts (3) Primary and Secondary. Broxbourne (4), St Albans (7) and Dacorum (8) Primary. |
Currently vacant – enquiries should be directed to Charlotte Sear Charlotte.Sear@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 588724 Comnet: 28724 |
|
Sital Kumari (All year) |
Inclusion Information Officer |
Sital.kumari@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 556291 Comnet: 26291 |
Inclusion Support Officers:
Name |
Area |
Contact details |
|
Jackie Finnis (Term time only) |
Inclusion Support Officer, North Herts, Stevenage, WGC Hatfield & Hertsmere |
Jackie.Finnis@hertfordshire.gov.uk 01992 588495 Comnet: 28495 |
|
Michael Edwards (Term time only) |
Inclusion Support Officer Watford, Three Rivers & Radlett, St Albans & Dacorum |
Michael.edwards@hertfordshire.gov.uk 07855 183829 Comnet:25693 |
HCC model letters and forms for permanent exclusion and suspension
The DfE had been consulting on the use of the word Exclusion and the need to have a clearly defined language that differentiates between Fixed term Exclusion and Permanent Exclusion. It has now been confirmed that from September 2021 the word fixed term exclusion is to be replaced by the term 'Suspension'.
Please find below the list of updated HCC model letters and forms for Permanent Exclusion and Suspension that have had the language updated to reflect this change.
The model letters and forms are available to download underneath the table list.
|
|
Description |
|
Model letter 1 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher In Charge notifying parents of a suspension of 5 days or fewer in one term, or which brings the child’s total number of days or suspension to no more than 5 days in one term, and where a public examination or national curriculum test is not missed. |
|
Model letter 2 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher In Charge notifying parents of a suspension of more than 5 days and up to/equal to15 days in one term, or which brings the child’s total number of days or suspension to more than 5 days and up/equal to 15 days in one term, and where a public examination or national curriculum test is not missed. |
|
Model letter 3 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher In Charge notifying parents of a suspension of more than 15 days in one term, or which brings the child’s total number of days or suspension to more than 15 days in one term, or where a public examination or national curriculum test would be missed. |
|
Model letter 4 |
From the Clerk of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/ESC Management Committee inviting parents to a meeting of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/ESC Management Committee in respect of a suspension. |
|
Model letter 5 |
From the Clerk of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/Management Committee informing parents of the committee’s decision in respect of a suspension. |
|
Model letter 6 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher in Charge notifying parents of lunchtime exclusion of up to 5 days in one term, a lunchtime suspension counting as 0.5 days of suspension towards this total. |
|
Model letter 7 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher in Charge notifying parents of a permanent exclusion. |
|
Model letter 8 |
From the Clerk of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/Management Committee inviting parents to a meeting of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/Management Committee in respect of a permanent exclusion. |
|
Model letter 9 |
From the Clerk of the Governors’ Disciplinary Committee/ESC Management Committee informing parents of the committee’s decision in respect of a permanent exclusion. |
|
Model letter 10 |
From the Head Teacher, Principal or Teacher In Charge notifying the withdrawal of a suspension or permanent exclusion. |
|
X1 - Permanent Exclusion |
From the Head teacher/Principle/Teacher in charge notifying the Local Authority of a permanent Exclusions. |
|
X1 – Suspension notification |
From the Head teacher/Principle/Teacher in charge notifying the Local Authority of a suspension. (Lunchtime, 1-5 Days, 5-15 Days, 16+Days) |
Funding provision for schools taking on permanently (off-roll) excluded pupils
When a school takes on a pupil that has been excluded from a previous provision and has since gone off-roll, the receiving school is entitled to the proportion of AWPU (Age Weighted Pupil Unit) and Pupil Premium (if eligible) remaining in the financial year for that pupil. In order to enquire about this, schools can fill in the X2 form and send it back to HCC School’s Finance. Once it has been confirmed that the details are correct, the Finance team will get in contact to inform your school that the transfer of balance has been initiated.
This process will also help ensure that HCC know what provision pupils are in.
Timpson review of school exclusion
The former Government Children's Minister Edward Timpson CBE published a review into school exclusions in May 2019.
Schools will be made accountable for the pupils they exclude and there will be a clampdown on off-rolling, as part of Government measures taken in response to the review.
The review makes 30 recommendations to Government as it highlights variation in exclusions practice across different schools, local authorities and certain groups of children. The report concludes that while there is no optimal number of exclusions, there needs to be action to ensure permanent exclusions are only used as a last resort, where nothing else will do.
The Department for Education agreed to all 30 recommendations in principle, “committing to act to make sure no child misses out on a quality education”.
Read the full report: