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).