‘Internal exclusion’ of England secondary school students almost triples in three years

Exclusive: new data shows poorer pupils and those with Send are disproportionately affected by the measure

The proportion of secondary school students in England removed from class and placed in “internal exclusion” as a disciplinary measure has almost trebled in three years, according to new data.

The data shows the proportion of secondary pupils removed from normal lessons went up from 5% in the 2022/2023 academic year to 13% in 2025/26 – a 160% increase.