School exclusion reviews data collection: how to submit data
How local authorities should submit information about reviews of cases where schools have suspended or expelled pupils.
Applies to England
The school exclusion reviews data collection is a statutory return that all local authorities submit to us every January. You must complete statutory data collections by law unless there’s a good reason not to.
The data collection records the number and outcomes of all exclusion reviews that parents or guardians lodge (ask for) and that an independent review panel determines (decides) during the academic year.
It applies to:
- schools and alternative provision (AP) settings maintained by the local authority
- academies and free schools
AP settings are places that provide education for children who cannot go to a mainstream school.
Important dates
The 2026 data collection:
- opens on 7 January 2026
- closes on 30 January 2026
Submit your data
You’ll need to:
- register and log in with DfE Sign-in
- use COLLECT to submit your data
Contact your school or local authority approver, if:
- you want to request a DfE Sign-in username or password so you can access COLLECT
- ‘school exclusion reviews data’ is not on the list of collections you can see in COLLECT
Get help using DfE Sign-in
If you do not know who your approver is, use the DfE sign-in request form.
If you’ve forgotten your password, use DfE Sign-in to reset it. You’ll need to click ‘start now’ and then the ‘I’ve forgotten my password’ link.
For further help with DfE Sign-in, use DfE Sign-in help.
We’ll only be able to change the status of your data submission to ‘authorised’ once you’ve cleared all errors in the data in COLLECT.
Collection documents
Help submitting data
Use the data collections service request form if you have any questions about your data. We aim to answer your question within 5 working days.
Feedback
Use the feedback form if you have any comments about our data collection service, including COLLECT and the helpdesk service.