School suspensions increase

The number of suspensions and permanent exclusions from Rochdale's secondary schools has gone up, with at least one pupil suspended or excluded every hour of the school day.

Latest figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) showed 1,940 pupils were temporarily suspended from schools across Rochdale, while a further 54 were excluded.

That means there are 10.2 suspensions and expulsions on each of the 195 school days in the year.

Of those, 1763 suspensions were handed out to secondary schools pupils and 177 to primary school youngsters. 47 secondary school and seven primary school pupils were expelled.

The previous year's figures, for 2005/06, showed 1596 suspensions for secondary school pupils and 42 exclusions, meaning current figures show a 9.5% increase in suspensions and a 10.6% increase in exclusions. Primary school figures were not recorded in 2005/06.

Across England there were 353,910 secondary school pupils suspended and a further 45,730 primary school children. There were 980 primary school youngsters expelled and 7,280 secondary school pupils.

The DCSF denied that schools were under pressure not to expel pupils but said they were using “short but effective punishments to turn around poor behaviour”.

Children’s Minister Kevin Brennan said: “Good behaviour should be the norm in all schools all of the time. It’s simply not true that behaviour is poor in schools or is deteriorating. That’s not just my view but that of Ofsted.

“Heads are taking shorter, sharper action to improve behaviour to nip problems in the bud, with most suspensions just two or three days.

“While I am very keen to see more intervention and more preventive measures, where behaviour warrants it, heads should not hesitate to permanently exclude pupils. They now have the powers they need to do this.”