City school exclusions hit new low

THE number of pupils permanently excluded from Leeds schools has fallen to a new low – but two of them were primary school children, the first in this age group for some years.

In 2004-05 a total of 120 pupils were expelled but this has fallen every year since then. In 2005-06 it was 85 and by 2008-09 it had fallen to 46.

The statistics are contained in a report by Education Leeds to Leeds Council’s executive committee.

The report says: “Excellent progress has been made in continuing to reduce exclusions from school year on year. The rate of permanent exclusions from primary and secondary schools for 2008-09 was 0.05 per cent which equates to just 46 young people.”

The report says that significant success has been achieved in ensuring the vulnerable children are educated in mainstream schools.

For the second successive year there were no permanent exclusions of children with special educational needs.

The report notes that there has been an increase in the proportion of permanent exclusions for verbal abuse of staff in the last year, but reductions in the use of permanent exclusions for physical assaults on young people.

Permanent exclusions for persistent disruptive behaviour reduced by 25 per cent.

Exclusions for abusing staff now make up 20 per cent of the total, a rise of two per cent.

Twenty two per cent of those excluded had assaulted a member of staff. The percentage was the same as last year.

The most significant year group for exclusions was Year Nine, who are aged 13 and 14.

This group accounted for 55 per cent of permanent exclusions.

The rate of exclusions for boys remained higher than for girls. And the rate of exclusions in the 10 per cent most deprived areas of Leeds and those eligible for school meals both rose in the last year.

For the first time in a few years, there were two permanent exclusions of primary age children but Education Leeds would not say why they were excluded or from which school.

Nine secondary schools accounted for almost two thirds of exclusions and one primary school with more than 30 fixed term exclusions. None of the schools has been named.

The pupil group causing the greatest concern across both primary and secondary are those of gipsy Roma background and travellers of Irish heritage, whose absences are highest.

Other racial groups, including black Caribbean, mixed black Caribbean and whites, also have higher rates of exclusion than the national average.

Persistent absence rates have increased in primary schools by 101, to 1,424. In secondary schools the rates fell by 28 per cent to 3,322.

Education chiefs say that more work is needed with pupils and schools to improve attendance and reduce exclusions.

The chief executive of Education Leeds, Chris Edwards, said: “Exclusion figures in Leeds are low and the figures have remained below the national average since 2004.

“There were 5,018 fixed term exclusions – not individual pupils – and 46 permanent exclusions in 2008-09 out of 97,750 pupils. Education Leeds believes that exclusions should be avoided at all costs and are working closely with schools to achieve this.

“With last year’s attendance rates at primary and secondary schools being 94.1 per cent and 91.54 per cent, there is still work to do to. Primary schools saw the number of pupils classed as persistently absent increase by 101 but secondary schools saw a 307 pupil decrease. There are promising signs of improvement and through initiatives such as Give It 100 Per Cent, we continue to work together to improve attendance across Leeds.”

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