School exclusions

Request data on exclusions and removals from the register by school, reason, and year.

School exclusions affect children’s education. The Scottish Government publishes national statistics, but local data shows what is happening at individual schools.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [FINANCIAL YEAR e.g. 2024-25]: 1. The number of temporary exclusions, broken down by school. 2. The number of exclusions resulting in removal from the register, broken down by school. 3. For each school, a breakdown of exclusions by whatever reason categories the authority records. 4. The total number of school days lost to exclusion across the authority. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

Your local council’s education department. Find your council on the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • If you are interested in one school, name it in the request instead of asking for all schools. This makes the request quicker and cheaper for the council to answer.
  • The Scottish Government publishes exclusion statistics every two years as part of its school attendance and absence statistics. Check the latest publication to see what is already available at national level.
  • Scotland does not use the term “permanent exclusion.” The equivalent is removal from the register. Reason categories are not nationally standardised, so councils may use different labels. The template asks for whatever categories they record.
  • If the council says this would exceed the cost limit, narrow to temporary exclusions only or to a single school.