New figures on pupil exclusions

Pupils in the Borough of Rochdale were kicked out of school for everything from sexual misconduct to assault and racist bullying new figures show.

There were 59 permanent exclusions in 2015/16, with most for persistent disruptive behaviour, but nine were for assaults against pupils or staff and five for drug and alcohol reasons.

The vast majority of the borough's 1,398 fixed-period exclusions were also for poor behaviour with 338 for assault, 290 for threatening behaviour and 50 for drugs and alcohol. There were also another 20 suspensions for causing damage, six for sexual misconduct, 11 for bullying and 14 for racist abuse.

Nationally, children at state schools in England were permanently expelled on 6,685 occasions in 2015/16, up from 5,795 the year before. This is equivalent to around 35.2 a day, up from 30.5.

Most exclusions (81 per cent) were from secondary schools, the Department for Education figures show.

Children were suspended from schools for a fixed period 339,360 times last year, again up on the previous year. This is equivalent to 1,790 a day, up from around 1,590 in 2014/15.

There were rises in the number of suspensions in primaries and secondaries, the data shows, but a drop in special schools.

A DfE spokeswoman said: "We want every child to have access to a good school place where they can learn without disruption and feel safe at school.

"The rules are clear that exclusion powers should only be used in particular circumstances and decisions to exclude should be lawful, reasonable and fair. Permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort, in response to a serious breach, or persistent breaches, of the school's behaviour policy."

Kevin Courtney, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said: "This is a concerning trend and the DfE must give serious and honest consideration of what is driving these rising numbers of exclusions.

"NUT members tell us that as the curriculum gets narrower and children's experience of school is ever more focused on preparation for tests and exams, more students are becoming disengaged from school which in turn leads to problems with behaviour and mental health problems.

"These are the accountability drivers which are leading to this rise in figures. They must be addressed through a serious re-examination of the assessment and accountability regime and school funding."