Yes, and it has a name: separation of pupils for safeguarding purposes.
The exclusions guidance says in terms that temporarily forbidding a pupil from attending is not an exclusion on disciplinary grounds. It is tightly bounded — rare cases, only where separation is essential, parents informed, governing board told without delay. Do the same thing for disciplinary reasons and it is off-rolling, which is unlawful even with the parents’ agreement.
updated 26 Jul 2026last checked 10 Aug 2026
What the source actually says
The lawful route exists and is named:
“In certain circumstances, a school can temporarily forbid a pupil from attending its premises, for example, due to an allegation of harm by one pupil against another which might require physically separating a pupil from one or other pupils. In this scenario, the local authority must arrange education for the pupil if the school itself or the pupil’s parent does not do so27. This is not an exclusion on disciplinary grounds.”
— Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement, DfE statutory guidance, edition in force from 26 July 2026, para 26, under the heading “Separation of pupils for safeguarding purposes” DfE
The limits arrive in the next paragraph, and they are the point:
“The school should inform parents of the reason why the pupil has been temporarily forbidden from attending its premises and in conjunction with the designated safeguarding lead (or a deputy). The governing board should also be notified without delay and ensure this is used for rare circumstances and only when separating pupils is essential and cannot practicably be done in a way that lets one or more pupils remain on school premises.”
— Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement, DfE statutory guidance, edition in force from 26 July 2026, para 27 DfE
There are also duties that travel with it:
“It is important to note that in physically separating a pupil from one or more other pupils schools must specifically consider their duties under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010 and the Keeping children safe in education guidance. The public law principles of acting reasonably, rationally and in a procedurally fair manner must also be followed.”
— Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement, DfE statutory guidance, edition in force from 26 July 2026, para 28 DfE
Where this stops. If the reason is discipline, there is no informal middle category:
“Telling or forcing a pupil to leave school, or not allowing them to attend school, is a suspension (if temporary) or permanent exclusion (if permanent). Whenever a pupil is made to leave school, or forbidden from attending school, on disciplinary grounds, this must be done in accordance with the School Discipline (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) (England) Regulations 2012 and with regard to relevant parts of this guidance.”
— Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement, DfE statutory guidance, edition in force from 26 July 2026, para 18 DfE
That paragraph sits under the heading “Off-rolling and unlawful exclusions”.
And parental agreement does not launder it. Among the guidance’s own examples of off-rolling:
“sending a pupil home without a formal suspension regardless of whether it occurs with the agreement of parents”
— Suspension and permanent exclusion from maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units in England, including pupil movement, DfE statutory guidance, edition in force from 26 July 2026, para 21, bullet list DfE
Note the guidance never uses the phrases “informal exclusion” or “cooling-off period”. The words it uses are off-rolling and separation for safeguarding purposes, and which one applies turns on whether the reason is disciplinary.
Your school may still require it
Your school can set a higher bar than the guidance — requiring a senior sign-off, a written record, a fixed maximum length, a daily review — and many do. This card describes what the documents say, not how to handle a particular child. A live concern, an allegation or an individual case goes to your designated safeguarding lead, and where it concerns a member of staff, to the LADO.
See also Can a pupil be directed off-site without parental agreement?, Can anyone other than the headteacher exclude a pupil? and Do we have to wait for the police before suspending or excluding a pupil?.