Education Act 1996

157 Exclusion of pupils: duty to inform parents etc. E+W

(1) The head teacher of a county, voluntary or maintained special school shall have the following duties in relation to the exclusion of pupils from the school.

(2) Where the head teacher excludes any pupil, the head teacher shall (without delay) take reasonable steps to inform the relevant person—

(a) of the period of the exclusion (or, if the pupil is being permanently excluded, that he is being so excluded); and

(b) of the reasons for the exclusion; and

(c) that the relevant person may make representations about the exclusion to the governing body and the local education authority.

(3) Where the head teacher excludes any pupil in circumstances in which the pupil would, as a result of the exclusion—

(a) be excluded from the school for a total of more than five school days in any one term, or

(b) lose an opportunity to take any public examination,

the head teacher shall (without delay) inform the local education authority and the governing body of the period of the exclusion (or, if the pupil is being permanently excluded, that he is being so excluded) and of the reasons for it.

(4) Where the head teacher decides that any exclusion of a pupil for a fixed period should be made permanent, he shall (without delay)—

(a) inform the local education authority and the governing body of his decision and of the reasons for it, and

(b) take reasonable steps to inform the relevant person—

(i) of his decision and of the reasons for it, and

(ii) that that person may make representations about the decision to the governing body and the local education authority.

(5) In this section “the relevant person” means—

(a) in relation to a pupil under the age of 18, a parent of his;

(b) in relation to a pupil who has attained that age, the pupil himself.