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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Call to scrap school exclusions | Call to scrap school exclusions |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Excluding badly behaved pupils from school should be abolished because it punishes vulnerable children, a report by a think tank says. | |
| Demos says current exclusion rules, which hand difficult pupils over to local authorities, affect children with special educational needs. | Demos says current exclusion rules, which hand difficult pupils over to local authorities, affect children with special educational needs. |
| It suggests the child should remain the responsibility of the school. | It suggests the child should remain the responsibility of the school. |
| But the NASUWT teaching union said the report took "a rather simplistic view of a complex problem". | |
| The report's author, Sonia Sodha, said the current system only moves problems "out of sight and out of mind". | The report's author, Sonia Sodha, said the current system only moves problems "out of sight and out of mind". |
| The report, supported by the Private Equity Foundation, calls for difficult children to stay on the school register and be put on a tailored programme of support. | The report, supported by the Private Equity Foundation, calls for difficult children to stay on the school register and be put on a tailored programme of support. |
| Poor results | Poor results |
| It says more than three times as much is spent per child on Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) than in mainstream schools. About £15,000 is spent on a full time PRU placement, compared with £4,000 for a place in mainstream secondary schools. | It says more than three times as much is spent per child on Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) than in mainstream schools. About £15,000 is spent on a full time PRU placement, compared with £4,000 for a place in mainstream secondary schools. |
| The study, based on statistical analysis and workshops, suggests exclusion also does not solve behavioural problems and is linked to very poor results. | The study, based on statistical analysis and workshops, suggests exclusion also does not solve behavioural problems and is linked to very poor results. |
| It says government figures show 1% of 15 year olds in PRUs achieved five GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent; 11.3% achieved five or more grades A*-G; and 82.1% achieved one or more qualifications. | It says government figures show 1% of 15 year olds in PRUs achieved five GCSEs at grades A*-C or equivalent; 11.3% achieved five or more grades A*-G; and 82.1% achieved one or more qualifications. |
| It's crucial that the support stays connected to the school because once kids are excluded they are almost destined to fail Sonia Sodha, Demos report author | It's crucial that the support stays connected to the school because once kids are excluded they are almost destined to fail Sonia Sodha, Demos report author |
| By comparison, 70% of pupils achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent in the general school population. | By comparison, 70% of pupils achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE or equivalent in the general school population. |
| Over 75% of children who are excluded have special educational needs (SEN) and exclusion rates for children in the middle band of SEN are 17 times higher for children without those particular needs. | Over 75% of children who are excluded have special educational needs (SEN) and exclusion rates for children in the middle band of SEN are 17 times higher for children without those particular needs. |
| Additionally, 27% of children with autism have been excluded from school. | Additionally, 27% of children with autism have been excluded from school. |
| The report makes several recommendations, which include: | The report makes several recommendations, which include: |
| • Abolishing the current system of permanent exclusion | • Abolishing the current system of permanent exclusion |
| • Giving more resources to schools to buy in out-of-school specialist provision for children with behavioural problems at an early stage | • Giving more resources to schools to buy in out-of-school specialist provision for children with behavioural problems at an early stage |
| • The child should remain the responsibility of the school. Head teachers will still be able to buy in alternative provision for children behaving poorly - but they will remain accountable for their results | • The child should remain the responsibility of the school. Head teachers will still be able to buy in alternative provision for children behaving poorly - but they will remain accountable for their results |
| • More and better training for teachers on behavioural management in initial teacher training and in on-the-job training | • More and better training for teachers on behavioural management in initial teacher training and in on-the-job training |
| • Local authorities need to play a stronger role in driving up the quality of alternative provision for children who struggle in the classroom | • Local authorities need to play a stronger role in driving up the quality of alternative provision for children who struggle in the classroom |
| • Schools could spend extra resources to deal with the early signs of behavioural issues | • Schools could spend extra resources to deal with the early signs of behavioural issues |
| Ms Sodha said other countries did not exclude children in the way the UK does. | Ms Sodha said other countries did not exclude children in the way the UK does. |
| 'Destined to fail' | |
| "These figures are shocking and show how badly we are failing to support vulnerable kids. Instead of helping these children we are punishing and then banishing them," she said. | "These figures are shocking and show how badly we are failing to support vulnerable kids. Instead of helping these children we are punishing and then banishing them," she said. |
| "The system wastes money because it doesn't solve the problem - it just moves it out of sight and out of mind. | "The system wastes money because it doesn't solve the problem - it just moves it out of sight and out of mind. |
| "It's crucial that the support stays connected to the school because once kids are excluded they are almost destined to fail." | "It's crucial that the support stays connected to the school because once kids are excluded they are almost destined to fail." |
| But Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, accused the think tank of not fully costing its proposals and effectively "signing a blank cheque on the issue". | |
| She added: "It is premised on a belief that children and young people are lost to the system when they are excluded. | |
| "There is no evidence for this. If it does occur, then the local authority would not be fulfilling its legal duty to provide full-time education. | |
| "Nothing in the report warrants a conclusion that permanent exclusion should be abolished." | |
| Ms Keates also said many of the proposals suggested in the report - such as using nurture groups and learning mentors - are already used in schools. |