“Extreme concern” at 45 exclusions every hour
thecourier.co.uk 30 Jan 2008
There were 45 exclusions for every hour of the school day in Scotland last year according to shock new figures out yesterday, writes Steve Bargeton, political editor.
Overall exclusions went up by 4% in 2006/07 to 44,794, and the number of pupils removed from school for physical assault rocketed 14%.
Ministers expressed “extreme concern” at the findings but themselves came under attack for “moaning” about the cost and bureaucracy of collecting the evidence instead of taking action.
The Scottish Tories called for unruly pupils to be removed form the classroom and given special tuition with a “rigorous focus on learning basic skills, self-discipline and respect for others.”
“Ridding our schools of serious indiscipline should be a top priority for this Government,” said Tory schools spokesman Liz Smith.
“It is a priority for teachers, parents and the well behaved majority of pupils so it should be the same for the Government.
“These statistics must be put into the public domain and it is not acceptable for (schools minister) Maureen Watt to moan about the ‘cost and bureaucracy of collecting’ the evidence.
“When it comes to tackling persistent offenders, there has to be a much stronger line.
“It simply isn’t acceptable that these pupils are allowed to remain in mainstream classes disrupting the education of the well-behaved majority and making life a misery for their teachers.
“It may not be fashionable to say so, but these pupils should be removed from the classrooms where they are causing mayhem and they should be sent to separate units with specially trained staff, where there is rigorous focus on learning basic skills, self-discipline and respect for others.
“They should not be allowed to return to mainstream education until they show that they can behave properly.”
Former teacher Ms Smith noted that the number of attacks by pupils on school staff now averages an attack every 14 minutes of the school day somewhere in Scotland.
She said the Tories were calling for new powers for headteachers to be able to search pupils who are suspected on carrying knives or other similar weapons.
Schools minister Maureen Watt said she was “extremely concerned” that exclusions, which she believed should be a last resort, had gone up.
“I firmly believe that where a child is excluded from school we have— collectively—failed that child,” she said.
“Our early intervention policies will help to set children on the path for success, by providing them with the help and support they need.”
Labour education spokesman Rhona Brankin said, “The rise in exclusions in 2006/07 highlights the need for the SNP Government to continue the work of the National Discipline Taskforce and build on successful restorative practice initiatives that are running in schools across the country.
“Taking a whole school approach to the promotion of positive behaviour; involving parents; supporting teachers in disciplining pupils; and ultimately ensuring that head teachers have the authority to exclude pupils when appropriate are vital measures in ensuring that all pupils are able to learn without disruption.”
The latest figures showed that of the 44,794 exclusions recorded in 2006/07, 78% were of male pupils.
A third (32%) involved general or persistent disobedience, 26% involved verbal abuse of staff, and 16% involved insolent or offensive abuse.
There were 37,566 exclusions from secondary schools, 6018 exclusions from primary schools and 1210 exclusions from special schools.
Exclusions have risen each year since 2002/03, when the figure stood at 37,442.
Dundee has maintained its record of suspending pupils more often than any other local authority in Scotland.
Annual figures for 2006/07 released yesterday show that 1030 children—including 191 at primary schools—were temporarily excluded from classes in the city a total of 2288 times.
That works out at a rate of 126 exclusions for every 1000 pupils—the highest rate Dundee has recorded so far this decade and almost twice the national average.
Last year there were 3123 temporary exclusions across Fife, a slight rise on the 2783 during 2005/06.
Since the year 2000, statistics for the kingdom have shown little fluctuation—they stood at 3193 in 2000/01, fell slightly to 3028 the following year and rose to 3234 in 2002/03.
There were only 13 more exclusions the following year and a drop to 3086 in 2004/05, a further reduction to 2783 in 2005/06.
Angus education chiefs will be looking for clues behind the statistics after a shocking 50% rise in the number of pupils put out of school.
The county’s 2006/07 figure of 933 exclusions—all temporary—represents the highest number of pupils on the receiving end of such a sanction in any one year.
In 2005/06, 609 youngsters were excluded and the new figure equates to 58 in every 1000 Angus pupils.
Perth and Kinross had 1004 exclusions (55 per 1000 pupils).
The past year’s Angus breakdown was 172 primary pupils (19 per 100) and 761 secondary students (107 per 1000).
There has been a rising trend in exclusions so far this decade in Dundee (up 33% since 2000/01), Angus (up 71%) and Perth and Kinross (up 55%), but Fife has seen 2% drop over the same period.
The Scottish Government is preparing new guidance for headteachers on exclusions.
Guidance on exclusions was last issued by the previous administration in November 2003.
This marked the end of the national target to reduce exclusions by a third, removing pressure from teachers to artificially reduce exclusions.
The president of the EIS teaching union, Kirsty Devaney, from Dundee, said, “We must recognise that persistent low-level pupil indiscipline remains a serious problem in many schools and can only be addressed through robust discipline policies including the right to exclude in more extreme cases.
“No-one wants to see pupils excluded from school, however in some instances it is necessary to maintain discipline and to allow a suitable learning and teaching environment for pupils and teachers.”
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, the largest UK-wide teachers union, said, “The increase in the number of exclusions can be partly attributed to more robust reporting but also to the desire by schools to send a clear message that violence and disruption will not be tolerated.”
See also
Children and a life of crime
Cameron DID smoke cannabis
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