Vision statement three: Schools in Scotland must be ambitious for care experienced children and ensure they have all they need to thrive, recognising that they may experience difficulties associated with their life story.
Care experienced children and young people spend more time in school.
Cases of exclusions per 1,000 pupils who experienced care at some point within the school year
| Year | Pupils Who Experienced Care | All Pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 77 | 15 |
| 2023/24 | Not collected/published* | Not collected/published* |
| 2022/23 | 97 | 17 |
| 2021/22 | Not collected/published* | Not collected/published* |
| 2020/21 | 78 | 12 |
| 2019/20 | Not collected/published* | Not collected/published* |
| 2018/19 | 152 | 22 |
Notes
Reporting period: 1 August 2024 - 31 July 2025
Last updated: June 2026
Next Update due: June 2027
Expanded Content
Exclusion rates for pupils who experienced care within the year have decreased from 97 exclusion per 1,000 pupils in 2022/23 to 77 exclusions per 1,000 pupils in 2024/25.
This follows an increase in 2022/23 after a decade long trend in reduction of the rate of exclusion cases for pupils who experienced care within the year.
The exclusion rate for care-experienced pupils was around five times the rate for all pupils (15 per 1,000). Down from around seven times the rate in 2018/19 (22 per 1,000).
It is likely that some of the decrease in exclusions between 2018/19 and 2020/21 was due to the pandemic limiting the time pupils were in school.
Further detail on longer term trends is available: School Exclusions - Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2024/25 - gov.scot
*These statistics are collected and published biennially.