The number of appeals against exclusions has gone down by almost 40 per cent within 10 years, new figures show.
In 19978 1,290 appeals were brought by parents, but in 200708 this had fallen to 780.
But 91 per cent of appeals lodged are now heard, compared with 78 per cent 10 years earlier. The number found in favour of the parent has risen from 20 per cent in 199708 to 26 per cent.
In a third of cases won by families, teachers were ordered to take back pupils who had been excluded. This compares with 71 per cent in 200203.
Black pupils are still the most likely to be barred from school and the most likely to be suspended.
Persistent disruptive behaviour is still the most common reason for permanent exclusions, accounting for 30 per cent of cases, followed by physical assault against a pupil - 15 per cent.
In 200708, 850 children were suspended more than 10 times in a year. About 125,000 pupils had received at least one suspension, typically at age 14.
No pupils were expelled in seven areas of the country - North Tyneside, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Plymouth, the City of London, Wolverhampton and Rutland.
Oldham, Salford, Peterborough, and the London boroughs of Islington and Wandsworth, Bromley and Hounslow all had permanent exclusion rates of about twice the national average.
