Since the pandemic, behavior in schools has got worse, and exclusions in primary schools are up. But parents of children with special educational needs say more support is needed to keep their kids in school, like Mary-Ann, whose son has ADHD.

My son was permanently excluded at five years old. They referred him to go to a pupil referral unit. He would have been the only five-year-old in the building. I was like, No, My son was the angry boy. Because he used to go from one to 2010. I was saying there must be a reason why he gets so angry and then be completely calm. But they were just like, No, he's really naughty.

Now, new research suggests exclusions of very young people can have a big impact on their lives. The charity Chance UK found that over 90% of children excluded at primary school don't pass GCSE Maths in English. Over 22,000 children aged six years and under were excluded or suspended in primary schools in England in 2022. Almost all of those excluded had a special educational need or disability. The charity mentors children with behavioral problems and says more needs to be done to prevent exclusions.

Services are under such huge pressure. We have children who are waiting months, if not years, for specialist support. Whereas at Chance UK, on average, it's about nine days wait from a referral to be matched with your youth worker. But that's really rare nowadays, and these children just need a bit of extra support.

But many of those working in education argue exclusions are vital for protecting staff and students.

The impact of violence and abuse and harassment of other students and staff at school is incalculable. We must exclude when we need to, but the numbers are incredibly low. For example, the average primary school excludes once every 17 years.

Exclusions may be the last resort for schools, but the impact on children can be long lasting. Alice Porter, Sky News.

We have heard from the Department of Education. They've responded saying that primary age exclusions are a rare and last resort and should not mean exclusion from education. But we're clear we backhead teachers to use suspensions and exclusions where required to provide calm, safe, and supportive environments. Go on to say, For people who's at risk of exclusion, we've set out a new model for alternative provision schools to work with mainstream schools and provide targeted support early on, helping to improve behavior, attendance, and reduce the risk of exclusions.