CYP Now - Back schools with funding or risk ‘spike in youth violence’, report warns

Schools need to be backed by the government with extra funding to avert a spike in school exclusions and youth violence as the UK recovers from coronavirus pandemic, a report has warned.

The pandemic could see a spike in school exclusions and violence in the autumn term, the report states. Image: Adobe Stock

The final report of the Youth Violence Commission warns that schools need to be effectively funded to be able to meet the “challenges" ahead of children’s return to education in the autumn term in September.

Without emergency help school exclusions and incidents of violence are set to increase, the commission warns. The attainment gap between those excluded and their peers could also increase.

“If schools are unable to adapt and cope with these challenges, then there are serious risks of an additional spike in school exclusions, and a further widening of the attainment gap,” states the report.

It adds: “This report highlights the immense damage that school exclusions inflict on young people’s life prospects, including the close connection that exclusions have to increased rates of serious violence between children and young people.

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