Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to (a) issue national guidance and (b) set consistent reporting requirements on the use of (i) isolation and (ii) internal exclusion in schools.

All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour. This government is clear schools can use sanctions as a measure to improve behaviour.

The ‘Behaviour in Schools’ guidance outlines expectations around the use of removal from the classroom, which some schools refer to as isolation or informal internal suspension. Schools should ensure that removal is used consistently, proportionately, and in a way that supports the pupil’s reintegration into the classroom. The department trusts headteachers to use their professional judgement, when issuing a sanction.

The ‘Behaviour in Schools’ guidance makes clear schools should collect, monitor and analyse removal data internally to interrogate the effectiveness of the use of removal and any additional support individual pupils may require.