The white paper on pupil behaviour: What schools should do now

The UK Government's white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, covers exclusions, internal sanctions, off-rolling and pupil movement. While there's no stand-out headline, school leaders and governing boards should note the direction of travel: inclusion is being embedded more deeply into schools' legal obligations. 

Many schools are already doing what the government proposes to formalise. But the compliance landscape is about to become more demanding. Is your school ahead of the proposed changes, or could it strengthen its practice now? 

Internal suspensions and reintegration meetings 

The government will consult on changes to the DfE's statutory exclusions guidance and Behaviour in Schools Advice for Headteachers to promote more on-site suspensions, likely in response to rising suspension numbers. 

Many schools already use internal suspension - sometimes called isolation or reflection - where it's appropriate and feasible. But there'll be cases where it's not safe to keep the child on site, or there's no room or staff to supervise. Off-site suspension will still be needed in those circumstances. 

Schoolwork during suspension 

The government also proposes a duty to set schoolwork for suspended children, to recover lost learning while managing teacher capacity. How the tension between these two objectives will be resolved isn't yet clear. 

Many schools already send work home or set it on online platforms during suspension, so current practice would simply be formalised. Schools will likely need to document what work is set, how it's communicated to the suspended pupil and how completion is monitored - with adjustments for SEND pupils - to evidence compliance. 

Reintegration Support Partnerships 

The government proposes Reintegration Support Partnerships - a formal meeting after suspension, leading to an agreed plan and responsibilities. 

Many schools already hold reintegration meetings where pupils reflect on their behaviour and agree targets with support. The proposed consequences for schools that fail to hold or properly document these meetings remain to be seen. 

Pupil movement and off-rolling 

The white paper takes a more interventionist stance on off-rolling and pupil movement. The government proposes a new internal dashboard tracking school-level trends in how children move through the system. 

It also proposes a "curious approach" to identify patterns and challenge schools where concerns arise - particularly where SEND, FSM or demographic trends appear significantly out of step with local context. 

Off-site directions and managed moves 

Off-site directions remain a useful tool as an intervention or precursor to a managed move, often used to keep children safe or minimise disruption. Many schools use directions in year 11 to avoid the impact of permanent exclusion at a crucial stage. 

Headteachers often work hard to avoid derailing a pupil's progress towards formal exams, even where it's clear they can't remain on site. 

Managed moves are becoming less common - usually only after a successful off-site direction to another mainstream school. This isn't surprising given the lack of a legislative framework (just five paragraphs in the current statutory exclusions guidance). 

Preparing for data-driven oversight 

A significant escalation in data-driven oversight of school behaviour is coming. Demographic anomalies in pupil movement data could trigger targeted challenge. 

Leaders should ensure that every managed move, off-site direction and pupil roll change is documented with a clear, defensible rationale. Poor record-keeping will be the first vulnerability exposed. 

Governing board scrutiny of pupil movement 

The proposals formalise accountability for what governing boards should already be doing - scrutinising pupil moves, off-site directions and exclusion data. 

Does your governing board receive regular, disaggregated data on pupil movement and minute its scrutiny? If not, it's worth strengthening this now. 

What should schools do now? 

The white paper's direction is clear: mainstream schools are expected to become more inclusive. Suspensions should be used less readily and off-site directions more transparently. 

The on-site suspension model, schoolwork duty and Reintegration Support Partnership are all subject to consultation. Schools should treat current proposals as indicative rather than settled. 

But there's merit in strengthening current practice now in anticipation of reform.