Fewer pupils expelled from school

Expulsions are now running at a fairly constant level

There were fewer permanent exclusions of pupils in England last year - but more short-term suspensions.

Official figures show there were 9,440 permanent exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools in 2004-05 - 4% fewer than a year before.

Persistent disruptive behaviour was the most common reason, followed by assaulting another pupil or an adult.

Sixty cases involved children aged four or less. The number of "fixed period" exclusions rose 13%, to 389,560.

A total of 220,840 individual pupils were suspended at least once, 19,060 more than in 2003-04.

The duration of these fixed periods fell, from 3.8 days on average to 3.6.

Tots expelled

There was a marked rise in the number of repeat offenders - those excluded more than once.

REASONS FOR EXPULSION Number of cases (% of all expulsions) Persistent disruption: 2,890 (31%) Physical assault on pupil: 1,780 (19%) Physical assault on adult: 1,270 (13%) Verbal abuse/threat to adult: 1,100 (12%) Verbal abuse/threat to pupil: 450 (5%) Others include: drugs and alcohol, theft, damage, sexual misconduct, bullying and racist abuse.

A total of 440 children were excluded more than 10 times during the school year, which was 130 (42%) more than the previous year.

More than three times as many exclusions relate to boys as to girls.

Exclusions peak at the ages of 13 and 14. But there were 60 permanent exclusions of children aged four or less and 960 temporary exclusions.

The statistics also show a 7% fall in permanent exclusions of black children, to 670 in total, and a 5% fall among white British - who accounted for the majority of all expulsions (7,220).

But there was a rise of almost 17% among children of mixed white and black Caribbean families, from 240 to 280.

The message to the minority is clear - schools can and will act robustly Jim Knight Education minister

The School Standards Minister, Jim Knight, said pupil behaviour in the majority of schools was good for most of the time.

"But it takes only a handful of poorly behaved pupils to make life difficult for staff and disrupt the education of other pupils.

More schools have internal units for disruptive children

"The message to the minority is clear - schools can and will act robustly."

He added: "The new legal right to discipline in our education bill will strengthen the authority of school staff, and give them the confidence to take firm action on all forms of bad behaviour."

The Department for Education and Skills also said that, "contrary to popular myth", head teachers' judgements on exclusions were not routinely overturned. The number of pupils reinstated to their former school on appeal continued to decline, from 150 in 2002-03 and 130 in 2003-04, to 110 last year.

But the number of successful appeals was the same - at 220. So schools were directed to take back only half the pupils who had won an appeal against their exclusion.

"In other words schools are getting away with it," said Chris Gravell of the Advisory Centre for Education, which helps families.

The Shadow education secretary, David Willetts, said the minister was celebrating permanent exclusions being down by 440 - but temporary exclusions were up by 45,510.

"This suggests that rather than reflecting an improvement in behaviour, these figures show head teachers are coming under pressure to reduce permanent exclusion, and are increasing temporary exclusions as a result."

The government denied this.

The general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, Chris Keates, said some local authorities continued to place "undue pressure" on schools not to permanently exclude - to avoid their responsibility for providing appropriate alternative schooling.

'Shock treatment'

It is time the government wasn't just tough on indiscipline but tough on the causes of indiscipline Sarah Teather Liberal Democrat

But the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, John Dunford, said heads were using the "short sharp shock treatment" as an effective way of arresting the decline in behaviour of some students.

Liberal Democrat education spokeswoman Sara Teather said "kicking students out of school" gave their classmates and teachers immediate relief but could store up problems for later.

"It is time the government wasn't just tough on indiscipline but tough on the causes of indiscipline," she said.

"Decreased pastoral care in schools, an outdated curriculum and a head teacher shortage crisis are all contributing to a discipline problem that is not simply going to disappear."

Steve Sinnott of the National Union of Teachers said: "We need to be reassured that schools are not being constrained to keep pupils who, because of their behaviour, could be placed more appropriately in specialist provision."

The UK director of the charity Save the Children, Colette Marshall, said often those excluded were the most vulnerable.

Where it did take place, it was vital they were fully involved in the process.

"This gives them a chance to make a positive choice about their future which is good for them, society and the school," she said.