Exclusion rates, which have been rising over the past five years, are affecting the early years as well. According to the Department for Education’s (DfE) January 2017 school census, 14 under-fives have been sent to pupil referral units (PRUs) in England, including four children aged two or under.
While the numbers are still significantly higher for older children, with 13,882 children aged between 11 and 15 placed in PRUs, this has tough consequences for young children and poses wider questions about how early years practitioners can deal with challenging behaviour.
In an interview with The Sunday Timesearlier this month, Education Secretary Damian Hinds said pupils should be excluded only as a ‘last resort’, and has announced a review of exclusions to be led by Edward Timpson, a former children’s minister.
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