Applies to: UKDfE (England) | Available from: Autumn 2026 term (first collected in the Spring 2027 School Census)
From the 2026/27 academic year, the DfE has brought the recording of cancelled exclusions into the School Census. A cancellation is when the headteacher withdraws a suspension or permanent exclusion before the governing board has met to consider reinstatement — sometimes called withdrawing or rescinding an exclusion.
This article explains how to record a cancellation in Arbor, what happens to the sessions the student has already missed, and how to remove a cancellation recorded in error. Recording a cancellation is different from recording a review outcome — see A cancellation is not a review below.
A cancellation is not a review
A cancellation and a review are two different things, and you should never record both against the same exclusion.
| Cancellation | Review | |
|---|---|---|
| When it happens | The headteacher withdraws the exclusion before the governing board meets | The governing board (and possibly an Independent Review Panel) meets and decides |
| What you record | A cancellation reason and the date the student is reinstated | A review outcome and the review type (Governing Body or Independent Review Panel) |
A decision not to uphold an exclusion, or to reinstate a student, taken at a governing board meeting is a review outcome, not a cancellation — record it as a review instead.
When you can cancel
- You can cancel a suspension or a permanent exclusion, but only before a governing body review has been recorded. Once a review exists against the exclusion, the Record cancellation option is no longer available.
- A permanent exclusion cannot be cancelled if the student has already been excluded for more than 45 school days in the school year (or will have been by the time the cancellation takes effect).
By law, only the headteacher (including an acting headteacher, a PRU teacher in charge, or an academy principal) can decide to cancel an exclusion; make sure a cancellation is recorded under their authority.
Recording a cancellation
Go to the student's Student Profile > Behaviour > Exclusions tab, open the suspension or permanent exclusion you want to withdraw, and click Record cancellation.
Complete the two details and save:
- Reason for cancellation — choose from the list below.
- Reinstatement date — the date the student returns to their former school.
Reasons you can choose
| Reason | When to use it |
|---|---|
| New evidence came to light | New information means the exclusion should be withdrawn |
| Managed move agreed | A permanent managed move to another school has been agreed instead — see How to record a managed move |
| Off-site direction to an alternative setting | The student has been directed to an alternative setting (temporary) |
| Exceptional circumstances | Any other exceptional circumstance justifying withdrawal |
What happens after you cancel
- The student returns to school without delay.
- The days the student was already out of school still count towards the 45 school-day annual maximum — cancelling does not wipe them.
- The sessions the student missed before returning must be recorded as a suspension. Arbor helps you do this: when you save a cancellation with a reinstatement date after the exclusion started, it offers to open a pre-filled Create Suspension form — with the same start date as the original exclusion, ending the day before the student returns. Complete the remaining details and save it.
Arbor does not create the missed-sessions suspension automatically — it offers the pre-filled form and you confirm it. If you choose Not now, remember the missed sessions still need recording as a suspension for the School Census to be correct.
For a permanent exclusion, this means you will end up with two records: the permanent exclusion (now marked cancelled) and a separate suspension for the missed sessions. For a suspension, the one record carries the sessions served up to the reinstatement date.
Editing or removing a cancellation
Open the exclusion again to view or edit the cancellation details. If you recorded a cancellation in error, use Remove cancellation.
If you remove a cancellation, remember to also remove any suspension you recorded for the missed sessions — it is no longer needed.
A few things Arbor will check for you
- You can't record a cancellation once a review has been recorded against the exclusion.
- You can't cancel a permanent exclusion if the student has already been excluded for more than 45 school days this year.
- The reinstatement date must be on or after the exclusion's start date.
When it reaches the School Census
Cancellations are first collected in the Spring 2027 School Census (covering Autumn 2026 term exclusions) and again in Summer 2027 — they do not appear in the Autumn 2026 return. You can start recording cancellations now; they simply aren't submitted until the spring return.
Frequently asked questions
We cancelled an exclusion, but the student was out for a few days first — what do we record?
Record the cancellation, then record a suspension for the sessions the student missed before returning (Arbor offers to pre-fill this for you). Those days still count towards the 45-day annual maximum.
What's the difference between cancelling and reinstating at a review?
Timing. A cancellation is the headteacher withdrawing the exclusion before the governing board meets. A decision to reinstate at a governing board or Independent Review Panel is a review outcome. You record one or the other, never both.
Related articles
- Creating a Suspension
- Recording and viewing Permanent Exclusions and reviews
- Arbor Suspension and Exclusion Reasons mapping to DfE codes
- How to record a managed move
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