Exclusive: Researchers say poverty and special educational needs are main reason – but equality campaigners urge caution

Poverty and special educational needs, rather than ethnicity alone, are the key influences on individual children’s school exclusions and attainment in England, according to analysis.

The findings, by a multi-ethnic team of academics from Durham and Birmingham universities, challenge widely held views that children in some ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by exclusions and suspensions.