Demos calls on schools to continue to reduce pupil exclusions

29 July 2010 1 min read Janaki Mahadevan Education

Think tank Demos has renewed calls for schools to stop excluding badly behaved pupils saying the practice punishes vulnerable children, as statistics reveal a fall in the overall numbers of pupil exclusions.

Government statistics published today show a significant drop in the number of children being excluded from school, with an estimated 6,550 permanent exclusions from primary, secondary and special schools in 2008/9, compared with 8,130 the previous year.

In its Ex Curricula report published earlier this year, Demos argued that the current system of excluding pupils and handing them from head teachers to the local authority is used too often and disproportionately effects children with special educational needs (SEN).

Sonia Sodha, an education expert at Demos, said: "Exclusion wastes money because it doesn’t solve the problem it just moves it out of sight and out of mind. Kids that get excluded are condemned to fail.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits: