Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers Ofsted has to investigate the (a) level of and (b) reason for school exclusions through its (i) school inspections and (ii) joint area inspections with the Care Quality Commission.

Ofsted has a duty to consider pupils’ behaviour and safety as part of its section 5 school inspections. While it is not Ofsted’s role to investigate individual cases, inspectors always look at exclusions on school inspections and ask head teachers about trends and reasons for exclusions. The issue of exclusion is also covered as part of the joint Ofsted/Care Quality Commission inspections of local authorities’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities. Inspectors will report on overall levels of exclusions, and may comment when there is a specific or recurring trend.