12:00 pm
Nick Gibb (Shadow Minister, Children, Schools and Families; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
In your fourth interim report, you say that you are concerned about the lack of focus in a number of behaviour partnerships on the level of fixed-term exclusions. You go on to say that some schools have high numbers of repetitive fixed-term exclusions. I have noticed in recent years that the number of fixed-term exclusions has been rising inexorably while the number of permanent exclusions has fallen. Why are schools engaging in repetitive fixed-term exclusions, rather than turning to permanent exclusions in those extreme circumstances?