Calls for educational reform as Roma pupils face the highest exclusion rates in England

Immediate release

Tuesday 25th March 2026

A new report by the Runnymede Trust, Traveller Movement and Connecting Roma, Excluded: Misrecognition, control and the Roma experience in Bradford schools, examines the communities behind the disproportionate exclusion of Roma pupils and the structural racism underpinning it.

Roma pupils face deeply disproportionate exclusions, informal segregation, and cultural misunderstanding in schools. ‘Zero-tolerance’ behaviour policies and insufficient pastoral support worsen disengagement. Families struggle to advocate for their children, while inclusion often depends on a few committed staff members. Market-driven school pressures prioritise performance over inclusion, leaving vulnerable pupils ‘managed’ rather than supported,reflecting a national trend of using exclusions to protect results.

National data reveals severe disparities:

• Gypsy/Roma pupils have the highest suspension and exclusion rates of any ethnic group in England – 3.5 times the national average.

• Suspensions for Gypsy/Roma pupils rose sharply in the post-pandemic period, by 84% between 2018/19 and 2023/24.

• In 2023/24 alone, suspensions increased 21% and permanent exclusions 16% from the previous year.

• The national secondary suspension rate for Gypsy/Roma pupils was 110.5 per 100 pupils, meaning more than one suspension per pupil on average.

• Gypsy/Roma pupils have the lowest attainment at every key stage. In 2023/24, only 8.4% achieved grade 5+ in English and Maths GCSE (versus 45.9% nationally). At Key Stage 2, 18% met expected standards in reading, writing and maths combined (versus 61% nationally).

Though contexts differ, Roma pupils’ experiences mirror patterns affecting other racialised groups, particularly Black and Irish Traveller pupils, pointing to systemic educational failings and school exclusions as a form of structural racism. For many Roma families, school feels like a site of control rather than empowerment, where difference is punished.

The report focuses on Bradford, where participants felt conditions had worsened significantly over the past decade. In 2023/24, Bradford had the fifth-largest Gypsy/Roma pupil population in England (889 pupils), yet far higher exclusion rates than comparable areas. While Kent recorded 22.3 suspensions per 100 pupils and Birmingham 13.9, Bradford’s rate was 145.1 per 100. At secondary level, the rate was 304.1 per 100 – averaging three suspensions per pupil. Such figures indicate entrenched local disparities rather than isolated incidents.

Gypsy/Roma pupils in Bradford secondary schools face the second highest suspension rate of any local authority in England and Wales. The only group that faces a higher suspension rate is Gypsy/Roma pupils in Doncaster.

Nationally, poverty, housing instability and social care involvement compound vulnerability:

• Nearly one-quarter of Roma, Romani (Gypsy) and Irish Traveller children under 19 are deprived in three or more dimensions (compared to 2% of other children).

• Only 15% are not deprived in any dimension (compared to 67% of other children).

• 27% live in overcrowded conditions (compared to 8% average in England and Wales).

Roma pupils experience unique intersecting risks: cultural invisibility, targeted stereotyping and lack of support services. Intersectional disadvantage (poverty, SEND, and social care involvement) amplifies their vulnerability beyond what is reflected in national data.

Funding mechanisms such as the Pupil Premium fail to reach many Roma families due to stigma, mobility and language barriers. Cuts to services like the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant and Traveller Education Services, alongside reduced pastoral support, have removed culturally competent interventions that once supported families.

Additional findings include:

• Persistent mistrust and misrecognition by schools.

• Teachers struggling under systemic pressures.

• Students sidelined, segregated, and disproportionately punished for minor incidents.

• Inclusion dependent on individual goodwill rather than sustainable systems, with staff turnover dismantling trust.

The report underscores the broader need for systemic reform. Culturally competent teaching, relational approaches to behaviour, and co-produced support plans have been shown to mitigate exclusion across racialised groups. By learning from these shared dynamics, policy and practice can better address barriers for Roma and other marginalised pupils.

Both schools and community members want the same thing: a sense that education belongs to everyone. Small but meaningful changes such as serving familiar food, celebrating St Nicholas, and playing Roma music would signal that Roma identity belongs within school culture.

“If you can find a Romani teacher for me, I would recruit them tomorrow, but I’ve never had one apply to me in 15 years. If we can get one generation through the GCSEs, we can get a generation believing that they can go to university. In 15 years’ time, we might have Roma teachers arriving to teach in our schools.” – research participant

In Excluded, the organisations make a series of policy recommendations including integrating Roma culture into schools, adopting restorative behaviour approaches, co-producing family support plans, reinvesting in local inclusion hubs, ensuring equitable funding, restoring culturally competent services, and developing vocational pathways. By centering belonging, recognition and practical skills alongside academic attainment, education can become a space where Roma pupils are visible, valued and empowered to thrive.

Daniel Balaz from Connecting Roma, said:

“The patterns outlined in this work are not simple statistics, they reflect the deeper structural challenges affecting young people, families and communities who already face significant barriers. Instead of these challenges being met with understanding and tailored support, many Roma pupils experience exclusion from the very system meant to help them succeed.

“For many in our community, this raises serious concerns about systemic inequality and the ways in which Roma can be disproportionately disciplined rather than supported. When children are excluded from school, the consequences are long-lasting, affecting their confidence, educational outcomes and future opportunities.

“Too often research about Roma communities is conducted without Roma voices at the centre. In this case, Roma participants themselves were directly involved in shaping the conversations, sharing lived experiences and identifying the real challenges families face. For organisations like Connecting Roma in Bradford, this work is vital. It ensures Roma voices are heard and respected, and that solutions are developed with the community rather than imposed upon it. Research done with Roma communities, not on them, is essential if we are serious about creating fair and inclusive education for all children. We need to support Roma children to succeed within the education system, rather than push them out of it.”

Shabna Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust, said:

“It is with regret that we publish yet another report outlining how entire generations of pupils are being failed by our education system. Having been a teacher for over 20 years, I know the devastating impact exclusions have on a child’s future, and how entire families and communities are harmed in the process. This report once again highlights how patterns of structural racism in schools reinforce poverty, criminalisation and disempowerment.

“Schools are increasingly incentivised not to treat children as whole people but are instead driven by a results culture that intertwines with racist ideas about belonging, ability and need. We cannot continue this culture of exclusion to bolster ‘results’ – schools exist to nurture and support children and young people – that must include all pupils. This racialised exclusion culture is harmful to us all.”

Pauline Melvin-Andersen OBE, Chairperson of the Traveller Movement Trustees, said:

“In schools, Roma pupils frequently encounter suspensions, informal segregation and cultural misunderstanding with ‘zero tolerance’ policies and insufficient pastoral support exacerbating disengagement.  The Traveller Movement terms this phenomenon “institutionally coercive exclusions” where schools either through action or inaction, create a persistently toxic educational environment forcing children and their families to withdraw from formal educational environments.  Without new initiatives on care and inclusion the promise of education will remain out of reach for many Roma children in Bradford.”

–ENDS–

Excluded: Misrecognition, control and the Roma experience in Bradford schools will be publicly available at this link from 00:01 Wednesday 25th March: www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/excluded-misrecognition-control-and-the-roma-experience-in-bradford-schools

Contact

Rohini Kahrs, Head of Communications, Runnymede Trust: rohini@runnymedetrust.org,

07535 286975

Spokespeople from Connecting Roma, the Runnymede Trust and Traveller Movement are available for interview.