Schools told to stop sending suspended pupils home

The government will seek a law change to make in-school suspensions the default while current law requires suspensions to take place off-site. New guidance will say headteachers should send pupils home only in extreme circumstances, though they will retain discretion to do so.

The government has said it will seek to change the law so suspensions take place in school by default. Current law requires suspensions to be carried out off-site. New guidance is being published to advise that pupils should only be sent home in extreme circumstances. Headteachers will keep the discretion to send pupils home when they judge it necessary. Key details: - Current law requires a suspension to take place off-site. - The government plans to seek a law change to make in-school suspensions the default. - New guidance will advise that pupils should be sent home only in extreme circumstances. - Headteachers will retain flexibility to send pupils home where they see fit. - The announcement was published on 28 January 2026. Summary: If enacted, the legal change would make in-school suspension the default and limit home suspensions to exceptional cases. Headteachers would still be able to send pupils home, but guidance would advise doing so only rarely. The government will seek the law change; the timetable for that process is undetermined at this time.