Autistic children illegally excluded from schools

Around 20,000 children have been illegally put on a reduced timetable, sent home early or asked not to go into school on days when tests or trips were happening.

These exclusions, if they happen without the school providing the proper paperwork, are illegal.

 The report, by Ambitious About Autism – a charity dedicated to improving opportunities for young people with autistic spectrum disorder – found that nearly half of all autistic children in Britain have been illegally excluded from school (file picture, posed by model)

The report, conducted by Ambitious About Autism – a charity dedicated to improving opportunities for young people with ASD (autistic spectrum disorder) – surveyed 745 families in the UK.

It found that children with autism are four times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than any other child – with nearly a quarter of respondents (45 per cent) being formally dismissed at some point.

The report found: 'Not only do children with autism miss out on vital school time because of illegal exclusions, but by going unrecorded or reported the scale of the problem is hidden, making it harder for families to stand up for their children's rights.

'We know that illegal exclusions are commonplace, with 33 per cent of school leaders confirming that they knew at least one child with autism who had been excluded from their school illegally in the last year.'