Abstract

There is little qualitative data exploring effective
alternatives to school exclusion in England. This is
true across all age groups and school types. This
policy brief draws together data from a two-year
research commission investigating the impact of
school exclusion on children’s mental health and wellbeing
in the North East of England by Martin-Denham
(2020a, 2020b, 2020c). The research highlighted
instances of children held in isolation booths on a daily
basis for periods ranging from several months to over
three years. Whilst in isolation, the children were not
taught, spoken to or allowed to interact with peers; for
them isolation became their statutory education, to
the detriment of their mental and physical health and
academic progress (Martin-Denham, 2020a).