The impact of exclusion on peers’ education and labour market outcomes

This project will explore the impact of excluding disruptive pupils on their peers’ educational and labour market outcomes.

Why this research is important

Studies have found that excluding a pupil from school harms their education and employment prospects and increases their chance of engaging in criminal activity.

However, evidence from other countries shows that the presence of disruptive children at school can have a negative impact on their peers’ achievement, for example by increasing misbehaviour in the classroom.

Significantly more research has been conducted from the perspective of the excluded child than from their peers’ perspectives. There is no evidence specific to England on the potential spill-over effects of exclusion on former peers, or on the impact on new peers when excluded pupils are enrolled at a new school.

How the research will be carried out

This project will aim to answer three research questions:

1. Does excluding pupils affect non-excluded peers’ education and labour market outcomes?
2. Does moving excluded pupils to a new mainstream school affect their new peers’ education and labour market outcomes?
3. How do impacts vary according to:
   • the number of years passed since the exclusion and re-integration
   • the length of time it takes to place the excluded child back into mainstream schools
   • the reason for exclusion
   • the characteristics of non-excluded children and new peers
   • and school size and the proportion of children excluded/re-integrated?

The Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset will be linked to the National Pupil Database (NPD) for pupils born between 1997/97 and 2003/04, controlling for a number of school-level characteristics that might be correlated with exclusion.

The research team will look at factors including:

• attendance
• suspensions and exclusions
• educational attainment at key stage 4 and 5
• enrolment in further education and higher education
• whether individuals are not in education, employment, or training by age 18
• whether individuals are in work at age 21
• earnings
• and benefit receipt.

How this research will make a difference

The research will provide evidence on the extent to which policy should aim to control exclusion rates. Officials in the Department for Education, Ministry of Justice, and Department for Work and Pensions are the main policy audience. School networks and children’s charities are the main practitioner audience.

Academic papers, briefing papers, and a main public report will be designed to reach key stakeholders.