“One More Kid You Keep in Education…”

I once heard a police officer say, “One more kid you keep in school is one less kid I’ll have in jail.” It stuck with me, not because it’s catchy, but because it’s painfully true.

I’ve seen the faces of young people cut loose

by the system: mischievous eyes dimming under the weight of exclusion. Once they’re out, the statistics are brutal. Eighty-five per cent of children in Young Offender Institutions have been excluded from education. Almost half were excluded in Year 10. Those numbers aren’t coincidences. They’re warning lights.

The High Cost of Letting Go

When we exclude, we don’t just remove a child from a classroom. We strip away:

• Daily structure that anchors their week.

• Peer networks that can protect against loneliness and poor mental health.

• The sense of belonging research shows is vital to motivation and resilience.

The data is stark: pupils who’ve been excluded are over five times more likely to have contact with the police, and over eight times more likely to be involved in serious violence, even after other factors are accounted for.

Yes, exclusion can make a classroom calmer tomorrow. But it makes the streets more dangerous five years from now.

Why It Happens

I don’t believe most educators want to give up on a child. But the system tilts towards it.

• Finance: mainstream budgets are tight; specialist provision costs more.

• Metrics: GCSE results dominate the accountability conversation.

• Safety: removing one high-need pupil can make the class more manageable for the rest.

These drivers are real. But they are short-term fixes that create long-term harm.

The Route Back Guarantee

We need a Route Back Guarantee - a national commitment that no young person is left without an educational pathway, however many chances it takes.

Whether it’s through alternative provision with strong academic goals, targeted literacy support, vocational routes, or blended pathways, re-engagement can deliver qualifications, skills, and hope.

This is not indulgence, it’s investment. The cost of high-quality re-engagement is far lower than the eventual price of justice system involvement, long-term unemployment, or crisis mental health care. Every second or third chance taken is public money saved, social harm reduced, and human potential realised.

How to Make It Happen

To align incentives so keeping a pupil in education is easier than excluding them:

1. Ringfence central funding for pupils at risk of exclusion - accessible only for reintegration or high-quality alternative provision, not from core school budgets.

2. Commission through Local Authorities so provision matches local need and there’s oversight beyond individual school budgets.

3. Make MATs accountable for inclusion targets, with performance measures that track engagement, progress, and wellbeing - not just GCSEs.

4. Reward retention in the accountability system so schools gain credit for holding onto pupils others might give up on.

The Shared Responsibility

We all decide, through the policies we write, the budgets we set, and the attitudes we hold, whether to shut the door or hold it open.

Every young person deserves the chance to be more than the worst moment of their teenage years. I’ve met learners written off at 14 who now run businesses, raise families, and mentor others. Their turning point wasn’t a sudden transformation—it was someone giving them another shot.

Final Word

We cannot control every choice a young person makes. But we can control whether we leave the route open, or bolt it shut at the first sign of trouble. If we truly want safer streets, stronger communities, and healthier futures, the answer is clear:

Keep them in education. Give them more than one chance. And watch the difference it makes.