Exclusion of pupils

A headteacher may decide to permanently exclude a pupil under strict circumstances to protect education or welfare of the pupils and staff in the school. The education authority provide support and advice for parents of excluded children and for the child.

Service Description

The Social Inclusion Service (SIS) is part of the Education Support Service within the local authority. The service holds responsibility for working with schools and Pupil Referral Units in relation to exclusions both permanent and fixed term.

The Social Inclusion Service consists of the following professionals:

• Principal Officer, Education Support Service
• Exclusions Caseworker
• Social Inclusion Caseworkers
• Children Missing Education Engagement Caseworker
• Inclusion Development Teacher
• Inclusion Development Caseworker

The service is responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of the local authority Fair Access Protocols (FAP) and Children Missing Education (CME) duties as defined by the amendments to the 1996 Education Act and outlined in the 2012 School Admissions Code.

FAP protocols exist to ensure that access to education is secured quickly for young people who have no school place but for whom a place at a mainstream school, PRU or alternative provision is appropriate, and to ensure that all schools and Academies in Waltham Forest admit their fair share of young people with challenging behaviour, including young people excluded from other schools.

FAP protocols, policies and procedures have been commended both at a local and a national level as an example of excellent working practices.

The CME duty states that all young people of compulsory school age who are not on a school roll, and who are not receiving suitable education otherwise than at school need to be identified. Responsibility within the local authority is with the CME Engagement Caseworker. The work relies on a proactive networking system with other professionals and services in order to identify CME young people.

The Waltham Forest FAP/CME protocols effectively are a safety net promoting welfare, well-being and safeguarding for young people in the local authority.

Professionals

Principal Officer
Terry.wilson@walthamforest.gov.uk - 020 8496 1731

• Lead on the Social Inclusion Service strategic vision within Children and Young People Services
• Chair the Primary and Secondary FAP/CME panels
• Chair the Behaviour, Attendance, Safety Strategy group
• Strategic work with Social Care in relation to Safeguarding
• Undertake multi-agency case audits with Social Care and Health partner
• Member of the Social Care Performance Management and Quality and Assurance Group
• Shared responsibility for SEN budget monitoring

Exclusion Caseworker
Tahira.ahmed@walthamforest.gov.uk – 020 8496 1782

• Work in accordance with the DfE guidance for exclusion from schools and Pupil Referral Units
• Work alongside schools and parents of students at risk permanent exclusion
• Lead the co-ordination on all aspects of the FAP panel for both Primary and
• Secondary panels
• Manage the database recording of the local authority fixed term and permanent
• Exclusions
• Liaise with cross-borough local authorities developing partnership solutions to
• exclusions and placements
• Provide exclusion statistics to the Fair Access Panel on a regular basis
• Attend the Behaviour, Attendance, Safety Strategy Group (BASS)
• Provide local authority exclusion statistics to relevant local authority forums and
• nationally where relevant
• Attend Governor Disciplinary Committee meetings as the local authority
• representative for young people permanently excluded, those on longer fixed term
• exclusions and the more complex cases

Social Inclusion Caseworkers
Safina.shah@walthamforest.gov.uk – 020 8496 1703
Ishhad.duncan@walthamforest.gov.uk – 020 8496 1776

• Work alongside schools and parents of students at risk permanent exclusion
• Attend FAP/CME panels to monitor the data regarding the allocation and tracking of student placements
• Attend Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) meetings in schools in line with Government guidance documents, particularly the 2008 Exclusion Guidance
• Attend Governor Disciplinary Committee meetings as the local authority representative for young people permanently excluded, those on longer fixed term
• exclusions and the more complex cases

Children Missing Education (CME) Engagement Caseworker
Susannah.bennett@walthamforest.gov.uk – 020 496 1774

• Lead the co-ordination on all aspects of the CME panel for both Primary and Secondary panels
• Work as part of multi-disciplinary team providing an integrated approach in delivery of services to achieve principle aims of the Fair Access (FAP)/Children Missing Education agendas
• Manage individual cases associated with the operational CME criteria and report to FAP and Behaviour, Attendance, Safety Strategy (BASS) Group
• To track CME cases from the point of identification to allocation of educational provision and on roll status
• Work directly with young people, parents, carers and the wider community to help overcome obstacles to education and enable regular attendance
• Liaise and link with the EWO officer responsible for YOT and Children in Care

Inclusion Development Team: In the Social Inclusion Service there is now an Inclusion Development Teacher and an Inclusion Development Caseworker, whose role is to develop the capacity of schools to provide intervention and support for students experiencing Behavioural, Emotional and/or Social Difficulties (BESD).

The operational priorities for the work of the Inclusion Development Team are as follows:

• PREVENTATIVE: programmes of support that identify a group of students at risk of exclusion, working in partnership with school staff to provide appropriate early intervention, differentiation and structured behaviour support programmes
• TRANSITION SUPPORT: programmes to support students making transitions between schools and from PRUs to mainstream schools
• CASE CONSULTATION: advice and guidance to schools about individual cases. In primary schools this may include intervention (in partnership with school staff), at secondary this will involve up to 3 advisory visits
• TRAINING: training programmes delivered externally or in schools, usually focused upon providing effective support for students with BESD
• TRADED SERVICE: there is also the potential of Behaviour Support intervention provided on a traded basis, currently £40 per hour (April 2013), depending on demand from schools and staff availability

Inclusion Development Teacher
julia.kent@walthamforest.gov.uk
Tel 020 8496 1742

The role of the Inclusion Development Teacher is to

• provide advice and guidance to schools that have a specific concern about an individual or group of children/young people;
• support staff in schools in effective management or support for children with BESD;
• deliver training;
• contribute to multi-agency approaches to strategic issues;
• liaise with other services and participate in multi-agency meetings;
• provide 1:1 or small group intervention

Inclusion Development Caseworker
sandra.thomas@walthamforest.gov.uk
Tel 020 8496 1772

The role of the Inclusion Development Caseworker is to:

• provide 1:1 or small group intervention;
• liaise with other services and participate in multi-agency meetings;
• support the delivery of training

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