Who is losing learning?: The case for reducing exclusions across mainstream schools

Schools cannot give children the opportunities they deserve if they are not in lessons. Lost learning is a risk to education standards and a loss of potential. And there is a stark social injustice in who is affected: the children losing the most learning are those facing the greatest challenges in their lives.

This report explores the rising tide of lost learning, and sets out a strong economic case to invest in reducing escalations. We introduce an ‘exclusions continuum’ that brings together different datasets and presents an overview of the rising prevalence of children losing learning, whether through absence, suspension, internal exclusion or the 11 other types of lost learning we have identified.