The Conservatives would introduce a legal “presumption” that pupils who bring knives to school or assault their classmates or staff be permanently excluded, the shadow education secretary has said. Laura Trott also said she would make alternative provision 鈥渋ndependent鈥 of councils, enforce that all AP must be registered and introduce automatic absence fines for pupils who don鈥檛 show up to their placements. Trott in Manchester today that the party鈥檚 鈥渂lueprint to improve discipline鈥 would build on the 鈥渨ork of the last Conservative government鈥. ‘One knife and you’re out’ Trott told delegates the blueprint 鈥渟tarts with being honest about the need for permanent exclusions. We can’t shy away from setting clear boundaries for excluding pupils when they’ve been extremely violent or are carrying a knife. 鈥淭his is not about giving up on those children. It’s actually the opposite. Children must learn that actions have consequences. That’s just how the world works.鈥 She said that 鈥渦nder the Conservatives, our policy is simple, one knife and you are out. If you assault a teacher, then you are out. If you sexually assault someone, then you are out. 鈥淚f you’ve been expelled from not just one but two mainstream schools, then it’s clear that mainstream classrooms just aren’t for you. 鈥淚f children bring knives into the classroom, they shouldn’t be there. If they are violent, then they shouldn’t be there. And under the Conservatives, they won’t be there.鈥 Current statutory guidance on exclusions states that the government 鈥渢rusts headteachers to use their professional judgment based on the individual circumstances of the case when considering whether to exclude a pupil鈥. The guidance lists 鈥渆xamples of the types of circumstances that may warrant a suspension or permanent exclusion鈥, which include assaults on staff and pupils and the 鈥渦se, or threat of use, of an offensive weapon or prohibited item that has been prohibited by a school鈥檚 behaviour policy鈥. Heads under ‘pressure not to exclude’ Asked by Schools Week about the proposals at a conference fringe event, Trott said the policy would be “a presumption in favour of” permanent exclusion in those circumstances, which she said was aimed at “strengthening headteachers’ hands”. She said she heard “time and time again” about heads coming under “pressure not to exclude”, for example from local authorities. “So the idea of this is to set a norm, to set a presumption. Obviously, there will be exceptional circumstances, but the aim is to change the way things are at the moment.” The Conservatives have tabled an , Trott added. The amendment would require pupils excluded for the reasons above to be “relocated to an environment that is more suitable to their challenging behaviour, such as a [pupil] referral unit or alternative provision or similar”. More AP places needed During her speech, Trott heaped praise on 鈥渟pecialist alternative provision鈥, where staff work 鈥渨ith extraordinary dedication to turn around the lives of children鈥. When done well, she added, 鈥渋t’s a quality of education that can be tailored to their needs鈥. But she said the country needed 鈥渕ore places like this. It’s clear to me that there is not enough high-quality alternative provision, and as a result, disruptive pupils are being kept in mainstream education for far too long. 鈥淥ur blueprint will create more high-quality places in alternative provision, reducing disruption for the many who suffer from it, and delivering specialist support for the few who need it.” The party was approached for clarification on what funding would be made available to create more places. ‘Every academy chain partnering with AP’ Trott added that 鈥渆very local area should have specialist provision”, and that “girls should have separate provision from violent young men.鈥 And she said that 鈥渨e should push standards up through every academy chain partnering with one. We should make alternative provision independent of local authorities鈥. It is not clear if she meant that the party would force council-run pupil referral units to become academies. As of January, there were 159 PRUs in England, compared to 121 AP academies. The party was approached for clarification. ‘Every provider registered and inspected’ Trott also added that 鈥渨e should make sure that every provider is registered so that every setting is inspected by Ofsted, so there is proper accountability and rigour, especially in those settings for some of the most disadvantaged and challenged children鈥. A report by the children鈥檚 commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza found there were 24,325 children in unregistered AP in 2023. The shadow education secretary also called for absence fines to be 鈥渋ssued automatically鈥 for children who do not turn up to alternative provision to ensure 鈥渢hey’re not slipping out of sight and into criminality鈥. Current rules, introduced by the Tory government, state that schools must consider absence fines if a pupil misses 10 sessions or more. It is not clear how the Conservatives鈥 approach would differ.
Mark Mackley 8 October 2025 Why oh why do politicians insist on coming up with headline grabbing ‘policies’ which have clearly not been thought through? Every single case of poor behaviour choices have nuance which the schools are able to understand and try to work with. I had a case of a Primary aged child with a knife in school which, when investigated, had significant nuance which meant that suspension and input from the Police and others was more important and more impactful for them and their classmates than simply kicking him out. We also know that the AP system and PRUs are already overloaded and unable to cope so if this policy is to become reality then there needs to be many, many millions invested *now* to create capacity. Yes, some LAs put pressure not to P Ex as they know that the system is crumbling already but at the end of the day, HTs are independent of LA control and can and do make the decisions which are right for the individual and their community. Those of us working in schools day in, day out know that this is far more complex than this simple headline grabbing ‘policy’.