Commenting on data compiled by Agenda Alliance showing disproportionate exclusion rates for Black Caribbean girls and those from other minoritised groups, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The data reinforces what educational charities, trade unions and professionals have been saying for years: that the toxic combination of financial cuts, staffing shortages, increasing class sizes and punitive disciplinary measures is severely impacting young people’s educational prospects.
"These disproportionate rates of exclusion signal that educational institutions are failing young people who belong to minoritised groups.
Existing policies for behaviour and attendance are insensitive to issues of 'race' and gender and are not working. The proposals made by Agenda Alliance are a serious and constructive alternative."