Break the cycle: ending school-to-prison pipelines in the UK
An excluded student is four times more likely to be jailed as an adult - The University of Edinburgh, 2016
What is the school to prison pipeline?
The school-to-prison pipeline is a term popularised in the United States of America to describe the disproportionate nature of youth incarceration which has its beginnings in the education system. The use of this description helped identify the nexus between schools and prison, and provided an accessible explanation of how Black and Brown youth in America were disproportionately punished in comparison to their white peers, through the use of detentions, suspensions and subsequently exclusions. Black students in the United States are subject to disciplinary action at rates much higher than their white counterparts. These disciplinary actions put students at higher risk for negative life outcomes, including involvement in the criminal justice system.
The UK has an equivalent pipeline. This is sometimes referred to using the same terminology ‘school-to-prison’. On some occasions, it may be referred to as the PRU (Pupil Referral Unit) to prison Pipeline. PRUs refer to an alternative education provision for those who have been excluded from school or are unable to attend mainstream education. This pipeline is used to identify the process through which students are pushed out of schools into alternative education provisions and then into prisons.
Exclusions in context
What is an exclusion?
Exclusion refers to when students are removed from their school’s premises, either temporarily or permanently. There are two official forms of school exclusion:
A fixed-term exclusion (or suspension) is when a child is temporarily removed from school. A child can legally only be removed from school for up to 45 days a year. If an exclusion is for longer than five school days, the school must inform the local authority and governing board and arrange suitable full-time education from the sixth day.
A permanent exclusion is when a child is expelled from school. The pupil is removed from the school roll and the local authority must arrange full-time education for the child from the sixth day. This is the most serious sanction a school can give a pupil and government guidance says it should only be used as a “last resort”.
Off-rolling, or informal exclusion, is when a pupil is removed from a school’s roll without following the official process. The school may put pressure on a parent to remove their child from school when it is primarily in the school’s interest, rather than the child’s. It does not involve identifying a new education placement for the child and, in some circumstances, can be unlawful.
The amount of permanent exclusions increased by 71% in the UK between 2013 and 2020.
Why do exclusions happen?
Reasoning and justifications behind exclusions
The most common reasons for pupils to be excluded from schools are
Persistent disruptive behaviour
Physical assault against an adult
Physical assault against a pupil
Verbal abuse or threatening behaviour against an adult
Verbal abuse of threatening behaviour against a pupil
Damage
Systemic causes of exclusions
RSA research into exclusions has identified several factors that explain the systemic causes of rising exclusions. These include:
Wider societal factors that affect children’s wellbeing and ability to cope in school, such as rising poverty, increase in mental health diagnoses and increasing numbers of children with a social worker
Direct consequences of policies that have inevitable negative consequences, such as curriculum reform that makes learning harder for some pupils and reductions to funding for local authorities.
It can be argued that in some cases, exclusions more often than not, benefit the schools from which pupils are excluded.
What happens to the pupil and their right to an education? This gets sidelined in the name of ‘protecting others’. PRUs have been implemented as an alternative to traditional forms of education. But they are only supposed to be temporary solutions, aiming to place the pupil back in mainstream education. However, this is not always the case, as in some cases, the schools do not know what to do with the pupils, so they end up staying in PRUs.
Exclusions from a racial perspective
One of the biggest issues stemming from exclusions relates to inherent blackness. This refers to the concept of penalising behaviours and cultural norms that are fundamental parts of the experiences of Black people. In some areas of the UK, the exclusion rate for Black Caribbeans is 5x higher than that of their white peers. Policing hairstyles, greetings and kissing your teeth has effectively become the norm in schools, which makes it a frustrating environment to learn in. Schools are major components of secondary socialisation, and policing inherent blackness effectively criminalises race and key cultural elements.
The usage of the school-to-prison pipeline in the UK
The school-to-prison pipeline, as previously stated, has its origins in the United States in the late 90s to early 2000s. It is unclear when the term started being used in relation to the British education system.
Sent out of class, into prison
The pipeline can be described as a process that criminalises youth, through the execution of disciplinary policies and practices within schools that put students into contact with law enforcement. Behavioural issues result in detentions, suspensions and temporary exclusions.
In August 2018, on GCSE results day, a group of students called ‘Education not Exclusion’, highlighted this pipeline through adverts on the London Underground, releasing the following statement:
“While most pupils across the country are excitedly awaiting news about their future, thousands remain left behind. Every day, 35 students (a full classroom) are permanently excluded from school. Only one percent of them will go on to get the five good GCSEs they need to succeed. It is the most disadvantaged children who are disproportionately punished by the system. We deserve better.”
Factors reinforcing the pipeline
Special Educational Needs
Excluded pupils are 7x more likely to have special educational needs. If these needs are not addressed, they do not receive the support vital to their education and long term progression. Furthermore, the linear approach to the way education works in the UK may not be the best approach for everyone. Focusing on academia when some may have other vocational and more creative interests can be challenging for those that are differently inclined. This can lead to frustration, and in some cases, turning to delinquency as a means of rebelling against the system that has not looked out for them. Budget cuts have meant that many teaching assistants who would have helped these pupils have been made redundant. Not only would these assistants have supported children with their learning needs, but also put in place behaviour interventions to help pupils regulate their emotions and improve their ability to integrate into school life.
Shannon Trust - an organisation helping prisoners to improve their literacy, identifies that 50% of people in prison have a literacy level below that of an 11 year old. Many cannot read at all. Ultimately, this means they have reduced access to education, training and rehabilitation programmes which could transform their lives, and give them hope for a better future outside of prison.
Police presence on school grounds
The Black Child Agenda addresses the early exposure to law enforcement in the form of Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs) working on school grounds. They highlight that “Though their intended purpose is to protect students and ensure safety on school premises, in many instances, the police handling of disciplinary issues escalates minor, non-violent infractions into violent, criminal incidents that have negative impacts on students.”
Poverty
Nicholas Treloar of the Runnymeade Trust contends that “Exclusions essentially criminalise children, and disproportionately impact on the poorest and most vulnerable. Children that, when excluded, do not have the socioeconomic means of buffering against the dangers of being out of school,”
Pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM) are four times more likely to be excluded than those who are not entitled to FSM. Many of these children are not having their needs met at home. Imagine a household where a parent has to choose between heating and eating in the winter. This can lead to absenteeism, or even bullying for not having certain things. Retaliation against this can lead to people getting sent out of class, or worse.
Lack of support
Lack of support can come in many forms. For example, if there is an absent parent, this can be seen as a lack of maternal or paternal support. Lack of support can also present itself as lack of support from within the school system. Without anyone advocating for your needs, it can be a difficult environment to thrive in. This makes the journey to prison easier and as a result, life harder.
The impact of exclusions
The way in which schools police behaviours may reflect ways in which their behaviour may be increasingly monitored by police and law enforcement outside of education.
The Institute of Public Policy’s 2017 report notes that 1% of students in PRUs go on to receive 5 good GCSE grades. This significantly disadvantages their employment prospects, which could result in increased vulnerability to crime.
Temporary exclusions will likely lead to permanent exclusions, which in turn leads to idleness, poverty and poor mental health. The All-Party Parliamentary Group in 2019 contend that school exclusions make already vulnerable young people more vulnerable, as being excluded leads to a reduction in the number of hours that a student spends in a supervised environment. Commiting crime may be seen as the easier thing to do in a system that is actively working against your success.
The link between exclusions and criminality
The National Crime Agency found that being excluded from school is a contributing factor leading to a young person’s risk of criminal exploitation. Furthermore, the Institute of Public Policy in 2017 estimated that out of the 85, 975 people in UK prisons, 54,164 were excluded when at school. The Youth Safety Taskforce notes that disengagement with school and exclusions are strong indicators for those at risk of being involved in youth violence.
How to end the pipeline
In order to address the way in which exclusions result in prison sentences, it is important to come up with realistic solutions that have long-term effects. This ultimately has the aim of creating a more inclusive education environment in which pupils are encouraged to thrive regardless of personal circumstances, instead of worrying about behavioural issues leading to a long-term pattern of criminality.
Assessing children for their needs as early as possible and designing an education system with this in mind can be more beneficial.
More investment in community initiatives designed to enrich young people’s experience, acting as an additional source of secondary socialisation.
At the first sign of ‘troublesome’ behaviour, instead of coming from a policing approach, which may result in anger or disobedience, empathy and compassion can go a long way in changing the behaviour of others.
Implementing policies that do not discriminate against certain groups of people. For instance, the Halo Code has been instrumental in changing attitudes towards Black hairstyles in the workplace. An approach like this that is implemented within the education system can enable focus on education and quality of work.
