SEELB Suspensions & Expulsions

Each school must maintain a discipline policy which details the standards expected of pupils and the sanctions including suspension and expulsion which may be employed whenever a pupil contravenes these standards.

SUSPENSIONS
Suspension of a pupil from school remains the highest sanction which a school can impose and may only be imposed by the Principal in a situation where all possible/reasonable preventative strategies and alternative sanctions have been tried.

The Principal may suspend a pupil for an initial period of not more than 5 consecutive school days. A further period of suspension cannot be imposed without the prior approval of the Chairman of the Board of Governors. Parents and the Board must have written notification of the reasons for the extension and the period of extension. A pupil may not be suspended for more than 45 school days in any one school year.

EXPULSIONS
A request for expulsion cannot normally be considered until all such reasonable alternative strategies and sanctions have been tried and a period of suspension has been served.

Prior to considering a request for expulsion the Board requires that a Formal Consultative Meeting about the expulsion has taken place between the Principal, the parents, the Chief Executive or his nominee and the Chairman of the Board of Governors.

All requests for expulsion will be considered by the Board's Expulsions Committee which will be convened at the earliest possible date. Parents and the school will be advised by recorded delivery.

Having considered all written and verbal evidence the Expulsions Committee will make a decision on the expulsion. That decision will be communicated to the parents by recorded delivery and will also advise them of their right of appeal to an Independent Appeal Tribunal.

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Revised Procedure for the Suspension and Expulsion of Pupils from Board Controlled Schools (PDF).