Best Practice

Case study: Embracing the London Inclusion Charter

Inclusion
With absence and suspensions increasing – even in the primary phase – the Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit has launched a city-wide Inclusion Charter to support our most vulnerable children. Laura McPhee explains what is involved and reports on the ethos of two groups of schools
A strong culture: The Willow Primary School has embraced the ethos of the Mayor of London’s Inclusion Charter (image: supplied)

The safest place for a child is in school. However the data tells us that we have rising rates of suspension and absenteeism.

Last academic year, the overall absence rate in England’s schools was 7.2%, rising to 11.1% for Pupil Premium pupils. Furthermore, 20.7% of pupils were classified as persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (DfE, 2024a).

And while rates of absence are lower for us in primary schools (5.5% absence and 15.2% persistent absence), we are still notably above pre-pandemic levels.

Suspensions are also at record levels, with 786,961 last academic year, up from 578,280 in 2021/22. Of course, the bulk of these are at secondary level, but still compared to 2021/22, suspensions increased for primary pupils by 27%, from 66,200 to 84,300 (DfE, 2024b).

Register now, read forever

Thank you for visiting Headteacher Update and reading some of our content for professionals in primary education. Register now for free to get unlimited access to all content.

What's included:

  • Unlimited access to news, best practice articles and podcasts

  • New content and e-bulletins delivered straight to your inbox every Monday

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here