Our comments on correlation between exclusions and knife crime

Up and down the country, educators we work with are making genuine differences to children's lives and futures, often in hugely challenging circumstances. To create a culture where children thrive, it’s essential that schools are safe and orderly places where teachers teach and students learn. Occasionally, as a last resort, exclusion is necessary to achieve this.
 
Claims that exclusion itself is responsible for increased knife crime or gang violence are both unhelpful and unsubstantiated. A variety of societal challenges are inevitably intertwined, but there is no convincing evidence that should lead us to hold teachers and school leaders responsible for these serious crimes.

At a time of increased challenge and complexity for schools, we must first and foremost support our educators to create a system where every child can thrive, no matter what their background.