ABSTRACT
There are two major areas of exclusion in an educational context. First, there is unauthorised absence from formal education (truancy) which is 'organised' by the student themselves; the second area is formal exclusion from school, whereby pupils are excluded by the school, usually for reasons linked to some kind of disruptive behaviour. Both are strongly connected with pupil disaffection, alienation and disconnectedness rather than a wish to dispatch with schooling per se. Exclusion is a social justice issue and has far-reaching implications: 'permanent exclusion tended to trigger a complex chain of events which served to loosen the young person's affiliation and commitment to a conventional way of life'. Schools are required to set and mark work for pupils who are excluded for a fixed term for the first five days, and then should make alternative provision from day six.
