The number of children aged seven and under who are excluded from primary schools is very small but some children of this age are receiving fixed-period exclusions, occasionally leading to permanent exclusion. This study investigated the reasons for this and the ways some schools manage to avoid using exclusion. Sixty nine schools participated in a survey. Thirty schools had excluded several young children. Another 27 schools, each near to one of the first 30 schools, had not excluded any children in the same period. Twelve schools had only excluded one child, but on several occasions.
It found that what determined a schools rate of exclusions was a combination of its philosophy, capacity to meet the challenges presented and sometimes the response received from the local authority and outside agencies when the school asked for help. The report presents a number of recommendations for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), local authorities, schools and Ofsted.