Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the use (a) isolation or (b) internal exclusion rooms by (a) SEND status, (b) gender, (c) ethnicity and (d) free school meal eligibility.

The department does not hold data on the use of isolation or internal exclusion rooms, sometimes referred to as removal.

The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, based on the individual circumstances, when issuing a sanction.

Schools should consider any underlying causes behind a pupil’s misbehaviour before issuing any form of sanction, including where a pupil has special educational needs or disabilities, or an unmet need.

The ‘Behaviour in schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom. Schools should also ensure that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom.