Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they take when Ofsted determines that pupils have been "off-rolled" by a state-funded school in an attempt to maximise their results and league table rankings.
A pupil can only lawfully be deleted from the admission register on the grounds prescribed in regulation 8 of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 as amended.
Schools can exclude pupils, either permanently or for a fixed period, for disciplinary reasons, and the department supports schools in using exclusion where this is warranted. Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach or persistent breaches of the school's behaviour policy and where allowing the pupil to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school.
Following media coverage of inappropriate off-rolling this summer, the department wrote to all secondary schools, reminding them of the rules surrounding exclusion.
Ofsted has recently issued guidance to inspectors, reminding them to be alert to this matter. The guidance makes clear that instances of off-rolling should be discussed with school leaders during the inspection, and should inform the evaluation of evidence for the effectiveness of leadership and management, and outcomes for pupils.