Hackney schools record highest London permanent exclusions

Hackney recorded the highest rate of permanent school exclusions in London during the 2024/25 academic year, with 50 pupils excluded. Department for Education figures show this represents a rate of 15.5 permanent exclusions per 10,000 pupils. This figure is 2.7 times the London average of 5.7 per 10,000 pupils, marking the widest disparity in 19 years of available data.

The number of permanent exclusions in Hackney has risen by more than half since the London Inclusion Charter was introduced in February 2024. In the 2022/23 academic year, prior to the charter's launch, Hackney recorded 33 permanent exclusions. This number rose to 52 in 2023/24 and stood at 50 in 2024/25. This increase occurred despite a decrease in the total number of pupils in Hackney schools, from 33,615 to 32,217 over the same period.

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Secondary schools most affected

All 50 permanent exclusions in Hackney during the 2024/25 academic year originated from the borough's 16 secondary schools. Hackney's primary schools and special schools did not record any permanent exclusions. The secondary school exclusion rate in Hackney was 34.7 per 10,000 pupils, which was the highest in London and significantly above the England secondary average of 22.6 per 10,000.

Neighbouring boroughs reported substantially lower exclusion numbers. Islington recorded eight permanent exclusions, Tower Hamlets had nine, and Haringey had six. Camden had the next highest rate in London, with 28 exclusions equating to 13.8 per 10,000 pupils. Hackney and Camden were the only London boroughs with exclusion rates exceeding the England average of 11.8 per 10,000.

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Inclusion Charter context

The figures emerge as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, advocates for national adoption of the principles behind the London Inclusion Charter. City Hall states that the charter, launched in February 2024 and supported by 30 boroughs, has contributed to reductions in absenteeism, suspensions, and exclusions across the capital. According to City Hall, London's school suspension and permanent exclusion rates have fallen to half the national average. Data indicates a 14 per cent reduction in the exclusion rate for the last academic year, a 7 per cent fall in suspensions, and a 2 per cent drop in absenteeism.

However, London's permanent exclusion rate was already approximately half of England's in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years, before the charter's inception. The city's rate had been below the national average since around 2014/15. Hackney is among seven boroughs identified by the Mayor's Violence Reduction Unit for its work on inclusive and nurturing schools. City Hall is providing £1.4 million in funding for UNICEF UK's Rights Respecting Schools Award, available to London state schools for the next two years.

Mayor Sadiq Khan told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the charter has led to fewer exclusions and suspensions compared to the rest of the country, and progress in reducing persistent absenteeism. He stated that City Hall would share these results with government ministers, suggesting it is a model for keeping children in school and enabling them to fulfil their potential.