Schools who permanently excluded pupils in the last year cost a local authority over £2.4m. Middlesbrough Council has to cover the costs every time a local school decides to kick out a pupil, which resulted in a big bill based on figures from the 2024/25 academic year.

At an average cost of £23,042 per child, 106 permanent exclusions in the most recently completed academic year brought a £2.442m bill. This is part of a wider £5.369m total spend on alternative provision, based on 233 kids in alternative educational arrangements as of January 31, 2025.

The council explained that to calculate the average of £23,042 per excluded student, they use the number of children in alternative provision at the same point each year (always the end of January) and divide the total spend on alternative

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