CEN & Runnymede Exclusions Analysis 2024

Overview

CEN and Runnymede trust have partnered to deliver an 18-month research and advocacy project, based on the disproportionate impact school exclusions have on minority ethnic pupils in England.

The project will provide an analysis of secondary literature to identify and deconstruct the key structural drivers which influence exclusions. Namely, the marketisation of education, the securitisation of school and cuts to pastoral support within schools. Alongside this, primary qual data will be gathered which documents the experiences of pupils and their families as they navigate the exclusion and appeal process.

This will be supplemented with an analysis of longitudinal quantitative data, to highlight a) other drivers of exclusion and sights to stage early intervention and b) the outcomes for students who have experienced this. 2 focus groups will be staged with adults who have experienced exclusion, in order to frame quant findings within lived experiences during the final report.

Outcomes

• Research findings will be published in a final report and briefing paper by the Runnymede Trust. Including recommendations capable of supporting affected communities.

• The partnership will deliver a minimum of 4 round table events with race equality and education/exclusion organisations facilitating opportunities for those with experience to give evidence directly to parliamentarians.

• Research findings will inform 4 ‘Parent Empowerment’ pop events, to be managed by the CEN team with two of these delivered in areas with high exclusions and two in low exclusion.

• Finally, the research will inform the production of digital assets, such as short videos, to inform parents and families about the exclusion process, the appropriate mechanisms to leverage in order to access justice for their child and their rights.