Panels consider requests from parents or carers to review the decision to permanently exclude their child from a school or academy.
An Exclusion review panel is made up of 3 representations: A lay member, governor and Head teacher.
We have recently completed our recruitment round for exclusion panel members. However, if you would like us to keep your details on file, please submit an application and we will contact you when a position becomes available.
Skills
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
- Good literacy skills
- Have an understanding of peopleand their different backgrounds
- Able to remain firm and calm
- Ability to work with other Panel members
- Integrity
- Fairness
- Courtesy
- Tolerance
- Decisiveness
- Sound judgement
Requirements
- To be up-to-date by attending training events and by reading briefing papers.
- To be conversant and comply with the DfE guidance issued in September 2012 entitled "Exclusion from maintained schools, Academies and pupil referral units in England” or any subsequent guidance that supersedes this.
- To have regard to the “Best Practice Guidance on School Exclusion Reviews” produced by the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council (AJTC) in association with the National Association of School Appeals Clerks.
- To act within the law as amended when hearing reviews and making decisions.
- To adhere to the law and Hertfordshire County Council's policy on confidentiality, data protection and equal opportunities.
- In addition to the above if you qualify as a Lay Member you will be required to act as chair and will be required to direct proceedings during the review hearing.
Person specification
Headteacher members
Headteachers or individuals who have been a headteacher within the last five years.
Governor members
School governors, who have served as a governor for at least 12 consecutive months in the last five years, provided they have not been teachers or headteachers during this time.
Lay Members
The chairperson must be a lay member, defined as someone who has not worked in any school in a paid capacity, disregarding any experience as a school governor or volunteer.
Eligibility
A person may not serve as a member of a review panel if they:
a) are a member / director of the local authority / Academy Trust or governing body of the excluding school;
b) are the headteacher of the excluding school or anyone who has held this position in the last five years;
c) are an employee of the local authority / Academy Trust, or the governing body, of the excluding school (unless they are employed as a headteacher at another school);
d) have, or at any time have had, any connection with the local authority / Academy Trust; school; parents or pupil; or the incident leading to the exclusion, which might reasonably be taken to raise doubts about their impartiality (though an individual must not be taken to have such a connection simply because they are a headteacher at another school); or
e) have not had the required training within the last two years.
There were 20 independent, all day reviews held during 2017/18. Although reviews aren't held often, they have gone up in number and we need a healthy pool of members we can call on to help us meet our statutory deadlines.
Full training will be provided before you are appointed to a review panel.
Countywide. We hold reviews in a place that's reasonably accessible for parents, so the venue will normally be in the locality of the school that is the subject of the review.
Please note you are required to travel to venues hosting exclusion reviews and training events by your own transport.
Yes, we'll reimburse your travel expenses.