Permanent exclusion from school
3. Independent Review Panel
Independent Review Panel
If the Governing Body says your child must leave the school, you can ask the Independent Review Panel to look at the decision. You must write to ask for this within 15 school days after you get the decision letter.
The letter from the Governing Body will tell you where to send your request and will remind you about the deadline.
At the Independent Review Panel meeting, you can say why you think your child should not be excluded. You can also ask a friend or a lawyer to help you speak.
The Independent Review Panel can do three things:
- decide your child should stay excluded (not allowed back in school)
- ask the Governing Body to look at the decision again
- tell the Governing Body to look again and think about letting your child return
The panel's decision is final. The pupil, parents, Governing Body, headteacher, local authority, and (for an academy) the Academy Trust must all follow the decision.
- A guide for parents - Independent Review Panels [207.7 KB] [pdf]
Questions on exclusion review process
Contact the East Sussex School Appeal Service:
- Phone: 01273 482290
- Email: School Appeals
Advice and support
- Amaze SENDIASS - special educational needs
- Child Law Advice - school exclusion