New Data Shows Black and Minoritised Girls More Than Twice as Likely to be Excluded

New data uncovered by Agenda, the alliance for women and girls at risk through an FOI request from Department of Education shows that Black and minoritised girls are experiencing some of the highest rates of exclusion in schools across England.

It finds that during the academic year 2019/2020 Black Caribbean girls were permanently excluded from school at a rate double that of White British girls. Girls from Gypsy, Roma communities faced rates of permanent exclusion which were more than four times higher than those of White British girls.

The number of girls excluded from education is growing at a significantly higher rate than boys. Agenda’s research, supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, shows that rates of permanent exclusions of girls rose by 66% in the five years prior to the coronavirus pandemic, compared to a rise of 27% for boys. Speaking to Agenda for a new research briefing launched today, ‘Girls at risk of exclusion’, girls and young women have told Agenda that their exclusion often stems from their unaddressed experiences of sexual harassment and abuse, poor mental health, and experiences of racism, with negative stereotypes attached to Black and minoritised girls and young women playing a critical role in their exclusion.

Poor responses to their experiences of violence and abuse can stigmatise and isolate girls causing them to display challenging behaviour and subsequently lead to them being excluded. Black girls report feeling stereotyped, often being labelled as aggressive or troublesome, and may be more likely to be disciplined for minor behavioural issues than their white counterparts. The lack of understanding from professionals around the oppression they face further heightens their risk of exclusion.

Laila, a young woman aged 19 experienced sexual abuse early in her childhood and went on to be groomed and criminally exploited as a young teenager. She was permanently excluded from school at the age of 14.

“I don’t know if I realised that bad things were happening, or that things were particularly wrong. When certain things were being flagged up… I feel like, because I was Black and possibly because I had older siblings involved in gangs and in and out of prison, agencies overlooked it. Other people were telling me that it was wrong but, when social care or the council or teachers aren’t picking it up, I just thought, “Well, it’s minor then, isn’t it?”

I experienced a lot of racism both at school and out of school. I was never afraid to call it out – if that was from teachers or other students. I was excluded for throwing flour on someone else who was racist to me. So, flour on their clothes, on their uniform, is more important than them telling me that I deserve something horrible because I’m Black?”

Agenda’s previous research, Voices From Lockdown, has found that girls and young women have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. 95% of service-providers we surveyed pointed to a growing crisis in women and girls’ mental health and identified women and girls being exposed to harms in the home or additional exploitation. Self-harm rates have tripled amongst girls and young women since 2000, with the highest rates of self-harm seen amongst young Black women. Cut off from services and support over the past 18 months, the most vulnerable girls have gone under the radar and have been left with a burden of trauma and without any tailored support.

For some girls and young women it is abuse in school that is behind poor mental health and issues with behaviour. Marie, a young women aged 23 told Agenda that a sexual image was shared without her consent when she was at school:

“That was just like the start of the hell… From there, I got excluded a few times, just for little things, like setting off the alarm and bunking and stuff like that. I just felt like I gained a stereotype. Like “loud, black girl”, and that really is not tolerated. Instead of being asked, “What’s going on… Are you okay?” They asked me about school counselling once… It was a while after… I didn’t engage with it.”

Agenda highlights that once girls’ are outside the mainstream education system, they can go on to face further risks of abuse, exploitation and coming into contact with the justice system. Girls attending Pupil Referral Unit’s (PRU) are a growing minority within a male dominated environment. Girls now make up around 27% of PRU rolls and although alternative provision can be a more supportive environment for some, many girls report experiencing sexual harassment and abuse. As the proportion of girls being excluded increases, it is important – now more than ever – to ensure that alternative provision is a safe, supportive environment for girls, able to meet their needs.

Astrid Schon, Headteacher of London East Alternative Provision says:

“We are often a much better place for these young women than a mainstream school – we are a significantly smaller provision with high levels of pastoral and therapeutic support. Many of our students have mental health needs and are being sexually or criminally exploited. We are here to support them and help them turn things around.”

The majority of students who come to us do tend to be boys with challenging behaviours. Sexual harassment is an issue which we take action on immediately. Of course, we would welcome more funding and resources from the government to continue providing the specialist support that girls crucially need.”

Jemima Olchawski, CEO of Agenda says:

“The pandemic has been really tough for many girls and young women. We know this is the group most likely to be struggling with their mental health and also that violence against women and girls increased significantly during lockdown. Now those girls are returning to the classroom, we should be asking, where is the support that recognises and responds to what they’ve been through? It’s a real concern that the Government’s emphasis on behaviour management and discipline could see more girls facing exclusion, when what they really need is more support.”

“The data we collected through our FOI request found an unacceptable and persistent over-representation of Black and minoritised girls amongst children excluded from school. Black and minoritised girls and young women tell us that they aren’t being listened to and that racist stereotypes mean their needs are being ignored. With the long-term harms associated with exclusion well established this isn’t a trend we can allow to continue. The Department for Education must routinely publish data relating to school exclusions broken down by sex and ethnicity and take action on the racial disparities that exist within the education sector.

“We’ve seen a once in a generation crisis and the Government’s recovery plan needs to reflect the scale of the challenge. It must address the ways racial inequalities contribute to school exclusions for Black and minoritised girls and invest in specialist services that are able to address the impact of the trauma and disadvantage they’ve experienced.”

A staff member at an alternative provision school says:

“I think that many girls are struggling in silence and can often slip through the net more than boys. In my experience, sometimes boys are more likely to say they’re being caught up in something or that they’re doing something that they shouldn’t be, but this doesn’t happen so much with girls. They need that support network in place from the outset and often that’s not there which can make them more vulnerable to being at risk of exclusion.”

Agenda warns that excluding girls isn’t the answer, it can have further damaging impact for girls struggling with trauma. Instead of storing up problems for the future, the government must put in place measures to support the most disadvantaged girls as part of its plan for education recovery. Included in that must be real investment in specialist services, including services run by and for minoritised communities, that work with girls who are most at risk. Those services can work in school to prevent problems escalating, and if girls are excluded to help them turn their lives around.

About the research

Key Stats:

• In 2018/19, there were 1,885 permanent exclusions of girls, compared to 6,009 permanent exclusions of boys with Gypsy/Roma, Irish Traveller, Black Caribbean and Mixed White and Black Caribbean pupils experiencing some of the highest rates of permanent exclusion. A breakdown by both gender and ethnicity in official data is not available.
• Whilst boys continue to face higher rates of exclusion overall, rates of permanent exclusions of girls rose by 66% in the five years prior to the coronavirus pandemic, compared to a rise of 27% for boys.
• Whilst the latest statistics show that rates of permanent exclusion dropped significantly during 2019/20, this year’s data includes the start of the coronavirus pandemic when, from 23rd March 2020, school sites were closed for all pupils other than children of key workers and vulnerable children, remaining partially closed until the end of the school year. Permanent exclusions were possible throughout the full academic year but, with children out of school, it is reasonable to expect that rates of exclusion would be much lower and comparisons with previous years should be treated with caution.
• During the Autumn term prior to the pandemic, there was a 7.8% increase in the number of permanent exclusions for girls compared to a 4.2% increase in the numbers of permanent exclusion for boys. Rates of exclusion remained consistent with rates seen in Autumn term 2018/19 for both genders, indicating that had schools remained open it is likely that rates of exclusion for 2019/20 would have remained in line with the previous year.
• A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by Agenda in August 2021 found that in the academic year 2019/20, Black Caribbean girls were permanently excluded from school at a rate double that of White British girls, with this tripling for Mixed White and Black Caribbean girls. Girls whose ethnicity was recorded as Gypsy Roma faced rates of permanent exclusion which were more than four times higher than those of White British girls
• Despite an overall drop in rates of exclusion in 2019/20, Agenda’s research shows the rate of permanent exclusions for Black girls and mixed-race girls actually increased in the Autumn term 2019/20 from the previous year, rising from a rate of 0.01 in 2018/19 to 0.02 in 2019/20 for Black girls, and from 0.02 to 0.03 for mixed-race girls. This increase was particularly marked for girls whose ethnicity was recorded as Black Other (rising from a rate of 0.01 in 0.03) and girls whose ethnicity was recorded as Mixed White and Black Caribbean (rising from 0.04 to 0.06).
• In 2020/21, national figures for England showed that girls now make up 27% of pupil referral unit (PRUs) pupil rolls, although enrolment does not necessarily mean presence.
• Evidence suggests that girls are more vulnerable to types of exclusion which are absent from official statistics and which lack the accountability mechanisms built into the formal exclusion process.
• Research conducted in one local area found that girls are more likely than boys to experience functional exclusion from school as a result of persistent absence (where pupils miss more than 10% of school days), unofficial school change or ‘early exit’* (including as a result of off-rolling).
• Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 are three times more likely to have a common mental health problem – like anxiety or depression – than their male counterparts (Struggling Alone, Agenda Briefing Paper, 2020).
• Self-harm rates have tripled amongst girls and young women since 2000 and suicides of girls and young women were the highest on record in 2019, increasing by 72% over the last ten years, compared to a 28% increase amongst boys (Struggling Alone, Agenda Briefing Paper, 2020).
• Inside and outside of school, poor responses to girls’ experiences of sexual harassment, violence and other forms of abuse can lead to girls being excluded from or dropping out of mainstream education, with particular concerns about the mis-identification of child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation amongst girls from minoritised ethnic groups (Kids of Colour (2020) ‘The Extreme Policing and Hyper-Sexualisation of School Girls’).

Key notes:

• A Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) is an alternative education provision which is specifically organised to provide education for children who are not able to attend school and may not otherwise receive suitable education such as for children who have been excluded.

*An early exit occurs when a pupil leaves a mainstream secondary school prior to the final census return in Year 11 and does not move to a special school or PRU. This could occur for several reasons, including attending an educational setting out of county, being home educated, or the illegal practice of off-rolling: https://www.socialfinance.org.uk/sites/default/files/publications/whos_at_risk_of_exclusion.pdf