Lincolnshire’s section 19 policy

If a child is considered to be at risk of exclusions, it is Lincolnshire’s expectation that Lincolnshire Ladder of Behavioural Intervention is followed to enable a range of strategies and support to be implemented and reviewed.  Suspension or permanent exclusion should, therefore, be used only as a last resort and only as a protective consequence, in response to serious or persistent breaches of a school’s behaviour policy and when allowing the child to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the individual and others in the school.

For permanent exclusions, the local authority must arrange suitable full-time education for the child to begin no later than the sixth school day of the exclusion.  This will be the child’s ‘home authority’ in cases where the school is maintained by (or located within) a different local authority. 

For all suspensions and permanent exclusions, school must notify the local authority without delay. In Lincolnshire this is within 24 hours of the exclusion being issued.

Arranging alternative provision for permanently excluded children falls within the Section 19 duty.  The local authority discharges this duty via the Pupil Reintegration Team (PRT) and placement at an alternative provision provider.  For children with an EHC plan that are permanently excluded from a special school the local authority discharges this duty via the SEND Team.  

For fixed period exclusions, known as Suspensions, this responsibility falls to the school’s governing board in accordance with Section 100 Education and Inspections Act 2006.