Commissioner warns of national crisis while local authorities push back
Blackpool has emerged as the area with the highest school exclusion rate in England and the largest share of children not in education, according to figures published this month by the Children’s Commissioner for England. The findings have prompted a firm response from Blackpool Council which says local measures are reducing exclusions and that the report’s interpretation of some data is misleading.
The Commissioner’s report states Blackpool recorded 46 exclusions per 10,000 pupils, compared with just 1 per 10,000 in Wiltshire, which the report identifies as having the lowest rate. It also records that 8.3% of children in Blackpool are known to be missing from education — the highest rate in the country — and places Blackpool as the 15th worst place in England to be a child.
“Children face a ‘postcode lottery’. Services for young people in England are in a ‘state of emergency’,”
The report places Blackpool poorly in regional terms as well, ranking it the third worst place for children in the North West, behind Liverpool (8th in England) and Salford (13th).
Council highlights local action and questions methodology
Blackpool Council said the report understates recent progress and misinterprets parts of the data. Local authority spokespeople pointed to a Memorandum of Understanding agreed by schools last year which they say has already driven down exclusion rates and suspensions.
According to the council, exclusion rates have fallen since the agreement was put in place. The authority told local media the memorandum has helped lower exclusions and that suspensions have dropped by 29%, while exclusion figures have decreased from a previous peak the council described as 33% (the council’s statement framed those earlier percentages as baseline comparisons rather than current raw rates).
- 46 exclusions per 10,000 pupils recorded in Blackpool.
- 8.3% of children in Blackpool reported as missing from education in the Commissioner’s analysis.
- Blackpool ranked 15th worst place to be a child in England.
What the numbers mean locally
For parents and school staff across the resort, the headlines raise immediate concerns about classroom behaviour, support services and the paths open to young people. The Commissioner’s language underlines the scale of the problem nationally, but the council’s rebuttal shows local authorities are contesting both the figures and how they are framed.
One point of contention is the report’s reference to the 8.3% figure. The council says the statistic refers primarily to older teenagers — young people not in education, employment or training — rather than younger children, and warned that conflating different cohorts risks misrepresenting the support needs of families and schools.
| Measure | Blackpool | Lowest area (Wiltshire) |
|---|---|---|
| Exclusions per 10,000 pupils | 46 | 1 |
| Children missing from education (%) | 8.3% | Not specified in summary |
Local headteachers and classroom staff have already been rolling out the memorandum’s approaches to behaviour management and alternative provision. The council says those practical steps are reducing the need for formal exclusions and helping reintegrate pupils more quickly.
Next steps and local scrutiny
The controversy is likely to spur further scrutiny of how data is collected and how support is targeted. For Blackpool families worried about exclusions or youngsters not in education, the dispute between the Commissioner and the council will be watched closely: the figures are significant for funding, service planning and inspection regimes.
As the debate continues, the key local challenge remains delivering consistent support for children whose needs sit outside mainstream classroom provision, and ensuring clearer communications so parents understand what the numbers represent. Both the national findings and the council’s response underline the urgency of that work on the ground in Blackpool.
