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The rules on suspensions and expulsions are different depending on whether you go to a public government school or a private school. This page only applies if you go to a public school in Tasmania. If you attend a private, independent or Catholic school please contact us here with your question.
Every Australian child has a right to education. This means your school cannot suspend or expel you without very good reasons and a clear process. It also means your school must act fairly if they are planning on suspending or expelling you from school. If you think you are being unfairly punished, you can appeal the decision.
For information about suspensions, see our page on Suspensions.
Exclusion is when you are not allowed to come to school for a period longer than 2 weeks (10 school days). It is longer than a suspension, but you have not been expelled.
You can be excluded for the same things as suspension (see suspension list above), but your school can only try and exclude you if a suspension of two weeks isn’t enough to deal with the behaviour.
Exclusion, like suspension, is supposed to be used only as a last resort where other attempts to resolve the unacceptable behaviour have failed. You can only be excluded from school by the Secretary of the Department of Education following a referral from the Principal. The Principal must be satisfied that the unacceptable behaviour justifies a suspension of more than 2 weeks. The Secretary can then exclude you from school if they are satisfied that your behaviour justifies it. The Secretary can also decide to suspend, expel, or prohibit you from school if they feel it is justified by your behaviour.
If the Secretary decides to take any of the above actions after a referral from your school, they must inform one of your parents or guardians in writing, and may also choose to inform you in writing as well.
The same as suspension, except The Secretary of the Department of Education may determine a plan for you to continue your education while you are excluded from school. The Principal must ensure that there is a process in place for your return to school when your suspension ends.
If you think that you have been wrongly excluded, you or your parent or guardian can ask for the decision to be reviewed. You must apply for a review in writing, and may ask for a single review or periodic reviews.
To do this you must fill in this form: Application for Review or Revocation of Exclusion (education.tas.gov.au).
The Secretary of the Department of Education can choose whether or not to conduct a review, and must notify either you or your parents in writing of their decision. If the Secretary decides not to conduct a review, they must provide reasons for their decision.
If the Secretary conducts a review, they must inform you or your parents in writing of the outcome of the review. If the original exclusion is confirmed, the Secretary must provide reasons for this decision.
You can also make a complaint against the Department of Education through the Tasmanian Ombudsman here: Ombudsman Tasmania.
If you are expelled, you cannot ever go back to the school you were attending.
You can be expelled for the same things as suspension (see suspension list above), but your school can only try and expel you if a suspension of two weeks isn’t enough to deal with the behaviour.
The Principal does not have the authority to expel you, but must instead refer the matter to the Secretary of the Department of Education if they want to expel you.
If the Secretary of the Department of Education considers that your behaviour is so bad that exclusion from school any period longer than two weeks will not be enough, you may be expelled from your school forever. The Secretary may also decide to suspend, exclude, or prohibit you if they feel that it is justified. Once the Secretary has made a decision about whether or not to expel you, your parents or carer must be told in a letter.
If you think that you have been wrongly expelled, you or your parents or carer can ask for the decision to be reviewed. You must apply for a review in writing, and may ask for a single review or periodic reviews.
To apply for a review of the decision you or your parents must send a form to the Department of Education: Application for Review or Revocation of Expulsion (education.tas.gov.au)
The Secretary of the Department of Education can choose whether or not to conduct a review, and must notify either you or your parents in writing of their decision. If the Secretary decides not to conduct a review, they must provide reasons for their decision.
If the Secretary conducts a review, they must inform you or your parents in writing of the outcome of the review. If the original exclusion is confirmed, the Secretary must provide reasons for this decision.
You can also make a complaint against the Department of Education through the Tasmanian Ombudsman here: Ombudsman Tasmania.
Expulsion from one school doesn’t prevent your enrolment in another Tasmanian government school. It is only the withdrawal of your right to attend the school that you were expelled from.
If you are prohibited, it means that you can never go to any government school in Tasmania again. The Principal can recommend that you be prohibited from attending all government schools but does not have the authority to prohibit you.
You can be prohibited:
You can be prohibited if your most recent behaviour was very serious and you have a record of bad behaviour in the past which your school has been unsuccessful in trying to change, even after getting your parents involved.
If your Principal has decided that you should be prohibited from all government schools, the Principal should first suspend you for 2 weeks.
The Principal must write to your parents and the letter should:
The Learning Services General Manager must investigate the recommendation and may talk to your Principal, you and your parents and also teachers and other people working at the school. The Learning Services General Manager must then give a report to the Secretary of the Department of Education.
The Secretary must decide whether you should stay at your school, go to another school or be prohibited from all schools. Your parents must be advised of the decision in a letter. A copy of this letter must also be sent to the Learning Services General Manager and your Principal.
If you think you have been wrongly prohibited you can ask for the decision to be reviewed.
To apply for a review of the decision you (or your parents) must send a form to the Secretary of the Department of Education: Application for Review or Revocation of Prohibition (education.tas.gov.au)
The Secretary will let you, your parents and your Principal know the result of the review in writing within 10 school days of when the Secretary receives your application for review.
You can also appeal against the prohibition process through the Ombudsman.
Discrimination is when a school treats you differently than they would any other student. This may happen if they refuse to enrol you, deny you learning opportunities that other students are provided with, or expel you for an unknown reason. A school may discriminate against you on certain grounds, for example, students can only enrol in College in Tasmania if they have passed year 10.
Click here for more information about discrimination at school
You can access any personal information held by the Department of Education about you, but this information is not available to the general public.
If you have been expelled from a school, this does not prohibit you from attending another school. If you are prohibited from school, arrangements will likely be made for your education to be delivered differently. This does not prohibit you from pursuing learning opportunities, employment, or further education later.
If you have been excluded, expelled or prohibited from school you should get independent advice about your rights as soon as possible. You need to act quickly to ensure that you minimise as much as possible any disruption or break in your education.
Please contact us here as soon as you find out that you might be expelled, excluded or given a prohibition.
You can also read the Department of Education’s processes and policies on suspension, exclusion, expulsion and prohibition here: https://publicdocumentcentre.education.tas.gov.au/library/Shared%20Documents/Infosheet-TeachingLearning-Discipline.pdf.
Finally, if you are finding that being out of school is very difficult and stressful and you are feeling a bit down you can call Kids Helpline or check them out here: http://kidshelpline.com.au/teens/
The Helpline is free and you don’t have to tell them who you are. You can also call them for free on 1800 55 1800.
If you have a problem or a question, you can send it to us today and we can provide you with free advice, information and referrals to help solve your problem. Just click on the button below.
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