If you have ever been suspended or expelled before 13 July 1999) or excluded or expelled (after 13 July 1999) from the school you want to go to, they may refuse to enrol you again. But they can also choose to give you another chance and enrol you.

What if I am excluded or expelled from another school at the moment?

If you are excluded or expelled from a school at the moment, or are still subject to an unspecified suspension put in place before 13 July 1999, other schools can refuse to enrol you.

If you aren’t excluded or expelled at the moment (i.e. you are enrolled at a school [including Correspondence School], or have chosen to leave a school) a school cannot lawfully refuse to enrol you.

If you are under 16 the school which excluded you (or suspended you before 13 July 1999) has to try to find you a new school. If it can't or won’t, the Ministry of Education can tell the first school to take you back, tell a new school to take you on, or tell your parents to put you onto correspondence.

See our information sheet Kicked Out of School for more information on this.