New Netflix film Steve shows that behind every school exclusion lies a different story

In the 92 minutes it takes to watch the new Netflix film Steve, at least 13 children in England will be permanently excluded from school. Some are as young as five. School exclusion is rarely the end of one story. It is often the start of a downward path that shapes a young person’s life. It leads to poorer academic outcomes, fewer job opportunities, higher risk of mental health problems and greater vulnerability to crime and homelessness. 

Despite these consequences, exclusions have reached record levels. Department for Education data shows permanent exclusions rose by 16% in 2022/23. Shockingly, that included 1,500 primary pupils – a 22% increase. Persistent absence also climbed to 21%, almost double the pre-pandemic rate of 10.9% in 2018/19. 

The impact of exclusion is not only educational. It ripples across public services. Excluded pupils are far more likely to need mental health support, face unemployment, or enter the criminal justice system. Each exclusion is estimated to cost the public around £170,000 in healthcare, benefits, lost tax revenue, and policing. For last year’s cohort alone, that amounts to £1.6 billion – a bill carried not just by government, but by society. 

Surely it makes more sense to address the root causes of disruptive behaviour, and ensure access to well-resourced specialist and alternative provision, rather than cutting children off from school and the support they need to thrive? 

What Steve captures so powerfully is that nothing happens in isolation. Behind every exclusion is a complex story, often rooted in unmet social, emotional or economic needs that schools cannot tackle on their own. This is demonstrated in the stark statistics which show the disproportionate impact on the young people most at risk of disadvantage or discrimination. Excluded pupils are two-and-a-half times more likely to be from a mixed black Caribbean background. And excluded pupils are three-and-a-half times more likely to be from a gypsy, Roma or traveller background. They are eight times more likely to have had contact with social services, five times more likely to have SEND (special education needs and disabilities), and 17 times more likely to face mental health issues. For many, exclusion is less about poor behaviour and more about a system that has failed to meet them where they are. 

I saw this first-hand as a teacher. Too often pupils were excluded when it was clear they lacked the right support. The hardest part was knowing they needed more help, but resources weren’t available. A recent Mission 44 report shows this is common: 97% of teachers who knew an excluded child well said they saw warning signs, and 64% said they could have spotted them months earlier. 

Mission 44 was founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton, who himself was unfairly excluded. Although his exclusion was overturned, he recalls: “I remember walking home from school that day thinking my life was over, my career, my dreams were over.” 

At Mission 44, we see the disproportionate impact of lost learning on vulnerable pupils as part of a bigger truth. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. That is why we launched our Nothing Happens in Isolation campaign to call for a systemic response. We need to stop treating exclusions, rising persistent absence and attainment gaps as separate problems. They are linked issues and the solutions must be too. 

Read more:

• School in its traditional form didn’t work for me – so I decided to homeschool myself
• ‘We’re punished for being different’: Black girls excluded from school at double rate of white pupils
• Harris Dickinson: ‘There are so many injustices. How do you stay across all of them?’

That means embedding inclusion into accountability measures and the curriculum, so schools are held responsible for how well they support every child. It means personalised support through mentors, targeted interventions, and specialist staff. It means building a more diverse and inclusive workforce – recruiting and retaining more teachers from underrepresented backgrounds and training all staff to support every pupil. And it means tackling exclusion beyond the school gates, through stronger mental health provision and joined-up services that address wider challenges. 

We are not alone in calling for change. Earlier this year Mission 44 released a joint statement with charities, education experts, and youth organisations urging government to address inequalities in education. The breadth of this alliance shows a growing consensus: reducing exclusions, strengthening support, and creating inclusive classrooms is both possible and essential. 

Change won’t come overnight, but there are signs of progress. This year, I joined our founder and Youth Advisory Board members to meet the prime minister and education secretary. The government committed to working with us on concrete actions: a national pupil engagement framework, better data on student experience, and work with Mission 44 and partners to recruit teachers from all backgrounds, including ethnic minorities. Collaboration like this must continue if we are to build an education system where no young person’s potential is written off. 

The challenge is great, but so is the prize. By working together – government, schools, families, communities – we can start to build an education system where every child, regardless of background, is given the chance to thrive in school, and in life. 

Steve is out now on Netflix. Mission 44 is a charity working to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world.  

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