Number of pupils excluded from York schools soaring (From York Press)

Number of pupils excluded from York schools soaring

11:03am Tuesday 16th October 2007

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THE number of cases of children being booted out of York's secondary schools is set to soar by more than a fifth this year, The Press can reveal.

New figures released by City of York Council shows the number of permanent exclusions is set to rise from 44 last year to about 53 this year - a increase of 20.5 per cent.

The number had been declining, and last year's total represented a 17 per cent reduction on 2005/06, but now expulsions are on the rise again.

All head teachers were called to a special meeting earlier this year to discuss the way forward, and a dedicated behaviour and action plan has been drawn up - but heads have suggested they were having to accommodate pupils who should not be in school.

A council spokeswoman said: "City of York Council has been successful in reducing the total number of children who are not on roll at a named school.

"However, we are currently responding to increasing numbers of children who have been permanently excluded. Our planned approach is a thorough one, ensuring that best practise in managing behaviour is in place in all schools.

"This means that additional support is available to respond to specific behaviour difficulties and we can be confident that when children are permanently excluded they receive meaningful interim education that enables them to successfully return to mainstream schooling.

"We will be closely monitoring whether this approach reduces the longer term need for permanent exclusions. Our aim is to work with schools to improve the behaviour of all, but deal directly with any behaviour that might impact adversely upon teaching, and on other children and young people."

Coun Carol Runciman, the executive member for children's services, said: "We take the matter of exclusions very seriously and are doing a thorough review to make sure there is support available to individual children wherever needed.

"There are also links between different schools to share expertise, and specialist advice schools can call upon.

"It is very important that schools draw the line where behaviour is not acceptable, but equally important that the local authority provides effective alternatives to mainstream schooling.

"I'm confident that all those working with excluded children are doing a good job, and I will be interested to see the outcome of the review."

Coun David Scott, leader of the Labour opposition on City of York Council and the authority's children and young people's champion, said: "The trouble always with these figures is that they do not necessarily show what is happening in a school.

"They show that there are some issues but you should not take one year's statistics as evidence of a problem increasing.

"We should always take exclusion seriously both in terms of disruption to the person excluded and to the classroom as a whole, but at this stage I do not think we can draw too many strong conclusions as to whether this is a downward trend, with pupils being more unruly or disruptive."

Heads have moral obligation' to be as inclusive as possible

David Ellis, head at York High School, said it was generally Key Stage 3 pupils - 11 to 14-year-olds - who were being excluded.

He said: "Neither the schools nor the local authority want to be excluding pupils if they can avoid it because it isn't really a satisfactory solution.

City's expulsion procedure ONCE a school's own disciplinary procedures have been exhausted, a younger, troublesome pupil will be referred to York's Bridge Centre for six weeks, before being returned to the school. The school then has the option of refusing re-admission. If they do so, then a governors' meeting is called to review the case. If they back the school, then City of York Council must find the pupil a place elsewhere.

"My own view is that there have been increasing numbers of young people in mainstream school provision now that wouldn't have been in the past and they find it increasingly difficult to cope.

"I think you'll find the increase in exclusions is mainly among younger pupils.

"One of the few options available for dealing with younger difficult students is a six week placement at the pupil referral unit which for many children isn't long enough because their problems are more deep-seated."

Mr Ellis said permanent exclusion came only after all other avenues were exhausted and usually spanned something like a 12-month period of work between staff, the pupils and the pupil's parents.

He said the Government's policy of "inclusion" of children in mainstream education "is good in principle, but it isn't working for everybody."

Brian Crosby, head at Manor CE School, said York suffered from a lack of funding.

He said: "Larger cities have better facilities to deal with problem children that York just doesn't have and that's due to Government funding. We have to take those very, very difficult young people and we get them coming to school and we have to exclude them. This is very sad for us as each case like this we look on as a failure.

"The City of York Council is currently working with head teachers on a wide-ranging review and we are taking the issue very seriously."

John Tomsett, head at Huntington School, said: "You do not go into education to exclude people, so we have a moral obligation to be as inclusive as we can."

He said their own exclusion figures had fallen this year compared to last.

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