As part of Nacro Education, Totton College is delighted to be hosting a giant crochet blanket created by the parents of pupils who have been excluded from primary and secondary schools, as part of its nationwide tour. At 14 meters by 8 meters, the blanket is made from 2,999 pieces of fabric, which represents the number of children who were excluded, on average, each school day in 2021/22.
The crocheted blanket is a project led by Dr Sarah Martin-Denham from the University of Sunderland, designed to highlight the scale of the issue of school exclusions by highlighting the voices of parents who feel there is nowhere left to turn. The project started in October 2023 and tiles have been crocheted and donated by parents and volunteers from across the UK and Europe.
The blanket is a powerful tool for initiating conversation around how school exclusion impacts children and their families as well as including education centres in a dialogue about what practical steps can be taken to avoid school exclusion for children in the future. Since the blanket was first created the problem has grown, as data shows the number of suspensions and permanent exclusions increased to 4,191 in the following school year (2022-23).
Totton College welcomes the arrival of the blanket as it goes on a year-long tour of schools and community groups in England to raise awareness of the issue. Students across Nacro Education Centres have been invited to engage in their own creative projects in response to the blanket, led by Kirsty Thomson, Head of Learner Support & SEND at Nacro Education. One such initiative has got hundreds of young people to create a box writing what people perceive about them on the outside and what they think people have missed or misunderstood about them on the inside.
Assistant Principal at Nacro Education and Centre Lead at Totton College, Jade Roots, said: “Totton College are delighted to be hosting the blanket as part of its tour of the UK. It is a potent reminder of the important role education providers play in our students’ lives – we recognise the devastating impact exclusions can have and are proud to work with students and their families to avoid this life-altering disruption where possible.”
Kirsty Thomson from Nacro Education said “At Nacro we understand firsthand the importance of this initiative as we work directly with students who have previously been excluded from school. We know that these young people have huge potential and with the right support they can achieve great things – we are committed to making this a reality for our students at Nacro Education.”
Dr Sarah Martin-Denham from the University of Sunderland, who led the project, said “the tour of the 2,999 blanket (representing the 2022-2022 daily) is doing exactly what we hoped: supporting local areas to think about how best to prevent suspension and permanent exclusion from school. We are thankful to Totton College as part of Nacro Education for hosting the blanket as part of the tour and for engaging children and young people to find out. She goes on to explain: “to turn the tide on exclusions, we need greater support for families, services and professionals.”
About Nacro Education
As one of England’s largest independent training providers, our focus is on creating a more personalised learning experience through our Get Set! courses and apprenticeships. Empowering students to develop the personal and professional skills employers are actively seeking via our national education network and strategic partners Skills Builder, MyBnk and Empatico.
Nacro Education and Totton College are open to young people aged 14 – 19+. Some of our students loved school, and some have struggled in mainstream education, some are looking to launch their careers with a hands-on vocational course, some might have SEN and benefit from our tailored one-to-one support. What brings our community together is the desire to get set for a bright future.
We are rated Good by Ofsted, hold the Matrix standard for information, advice and guidance services, and have received the Incyte platinum award for safeguarding. Our mission is simple – we want you to be who you want to be.