Internal exclusion

Also called Isolation, Removal room, Seclusion, Reflection room

Removing a pupil from class to a supervised space within school. Permitted, and it should be limited and recorded.

What it is

Removal from the classroom is where a pupil is taken out of lessons for a limited period to a supervised space in school, for serious misbehaviour or to allow the pupil to regain calm.

Schools use various names for it. Whatever it is called, it is not an exclusion in the legal sense and does not carry the rights that a suspension does.

Where it applies

Any pupil, under the school's behaviour policy.

How it works

Statutory guidance says removal should be used only when necessary, for the shortest time, with the pupil continuing to receive education, and with clear procedures for reintegration.

Schools should record its use and monitor it, particularly for pupils with SEND, and should inform parents on the day.

Prolonged or repeated use for a pupil with SEND is a warning sign rather than a solution.

What you can ask for

Ask for the record: how often, for how long, and for what. The pattern is more informative than any single incident.

Ask what education is provided in there. Sitting in silence facing a wall is not education, and the guidance expects it to continue.

Ask what the reintegration plan is, and what is being changed so it does not happen again.

Where to get help

The school's behaviour policy, the SENCO if SEND is involved, and SENDIASS.