School Suspensions: How linking education and children’s social care data to address gaps in data collection can reveal previously hidden trends.

ObjectivesData on school suspensions and exclusions is no longer collected specifically for children receiving care and support in Wales prompting concern that evidence gaps are hiding problems and preventing solutions from being developed. This study set out to explore this could be addressed using linked education and social care data. MethodsUnlike in England where information about children receiving and support from their local authority including those who are looked after or on the child protection register, these are separate datasets in Wales which can be linked in SAIL Databank. Four years’ worth of data was linked for children aged 5 to 15 educated in maintained schools and/or in other settings. Binary logistical regression was then performed to investigate the relationship between receiving care and support either currently or previously, and being suspended from school during the academic year. Pupil characteristics, type of setting(s) attending and SEN provision were controlled for. ResultsDespite less than 3% of Welsh pupils receiving care and support from their local authority, they are five times more likely than their peers to have one or more fixed-term exclus