Blanket highlighting school exclusion unveiled

The completed blanket will go on tour across England

A giant blanket made by parents of pupils who have been excluded from primary and secondary schools has been officially unveiled.

The crocheted blanket was made from 2,999 pieces of fabric, which represents the number of children who were excluded, on average, each school day in 2021/22.

Dr Sarah Martin-Denham from the University of Sunderland, who led the project, said it had brought the community together "in a way that is wholesome and empathetic".

The completed blanket will now be taken on a year-long tour of schools and community groups in England to raise awareness of the issue.

The project started in October 2023 and tiles were crocheted and donated from people across the UK and Europe.

Dr Martin-Denham said she had not expected so much support.

"We think the completed blanket is at least 14 metres by eight metres – huge, like the challenge of reducing preventable exclusion from school."

She added: "Project 2,999 has brought together a community in a way that is wholesome and empathetic.

"It shows how much of a difference you can make with very little funding but a collective of people who hope for change."

Dr Martin-Denham said the project had received lots of support

Parents who took part in the project previously told the BBC how school exclusion had affected their children.

Karen Longstaff, from Sunderland, said her son had become "quiet and withdrawn" and did not want to have any friends after he was excluded from primary school aged seven.

"There was no human being there," she said.

The Department for Education (DfE) previously said it continued to provide "targeted support" to schools to help "improve behaviour" and reduce exclusions.