I think any parent would agree that children need to be free to enjoy their education in a stimulating and safe learning environment. This means that the ability to exclude pupils is an essential tool for head teachers, and we fully back heads in their authority when pupils' behaviour warrants tough action such as exclusion. It is right that violence against pupils and members of school staff should and will not be tolerated, full stop.
It's worth bearing in mind, though, that exclusions are now 25 per cent below the totally unacceptable peak of 12,668 reached in 1996/97, so we've already made good progress. We're working to support heads and teachers, backed by 470m over three years, to prevent exclusions and improve behaviour though the Behaviour and Attendance Strategy. This programme helps schools and parents to develop and strengthen the emotional wellbeing of their children, to set high expectations of behaviour and to tackle severe behavioural problems. Evidence shows that early intervention and prevention is one of the keys in getting to the root of poor behaviour in children.
Being excluded, though, does not mean that children are thrown onto the educational scrapheap, far, far from it. We are committed to providing every child with a good education, and that is why more and more excluded pupils receive their education in pupil referral units, further education colleges, through work experience, vocational courses and home tuition. This way we ensure that excluded pupils do not fall into a lifetime's cycle of social exclusion, and the majority of children can flourish in the classroom by getting the education they deserve.
- Got a question for the minister? Send it in to Donna Murphy, Children Now, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP or email donna.murphy@haynet.com.
