Council counts cost of covering pupil exclusions

SCHOOLS who permanently excluded pupils in the past year cost a local authority over £2.4m.

- By DANIEL HODGSON

Middlesbrough Council has to cover the costs every time a local school decides to exclude a pupil, which resulted in a bill based on figures from the 2024/25 academic year.

At an average cost of £23,042 per child, 106 permanent exclusions in the most recently completed academic year brought a £2.442m bill. This is part of a wider £5.369m total spend on alternative provision, based on 233 children in alternative educational arrangements as of January 31, 2025.

The figure of children excluded in 2024/25 does not take into account the number already accessing alternative provision who might have been excluded the previous year or years, hence the varying figures.

At the full meeting of the council in September, executive member for education and culture, Labour Councillor Philippa Storey, was quizzed by fellow Labour councillor Janet Thompson, who high-