MPs debate Timpson review of school exclusions
7 May 2019 (updated on 7 May 2019)
Education Secretary Damian Hinds has made a statement to the House of Commons on the Timpson Review of exclusions.
The review, led by former children's minister Edward Timpson, looked at school exclusions. Published today, it makes 30 recommendations to the Government on how to deal with this issue.
In his statement to the House, the Secretary of State outlined how the Government intends to respond to the Review, thanking Edward Timpson and setting out measures to work with schools, teachers and authorities to care for children at risk of exclusion. He said the Government agreed there was "no right level of exclusion", and acknowledged the need to understand why variations existed in exclusion levels across the country. He said;
"It's vital that we support schools to give pupils at risk of exclusion the best chance to succeed, and ensure that for those children who are permanently excluded this is also the start of something new and positive".
His opposite number, Angela Rayner, told MPs that it was often the most vulnerable children who were excluded, and went on to blame funding cuts and austerity for contributing to the situation and questioned the ability of underfunded services to implement the review's recommendations.
"Too often our schools have been left to pick up the pieces [...] this report found that excluded children were more likely to be those already disadvantaged by class, income and special educational needs and disability."
She pressed the Government to commit to implement the reviews findings as a matter of priority, and to commit to deadlines to do so.
- Watch Parliament TV: statement on Timpson Review
Transcripts of today's proceedings will be available in Hansard three hours later.
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