School exclusion 'a tipping point' leading to knife crime, MPs warn

A report by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on knife crime wants a government-led review to examine why many excluded children do not get the full-time education they are legally entitled to.

The report calls for an end to part-time education for excluded pupils, and for mainstream schools to be more accountable for the children they exclude.

In England, there were 7,900 permanent exclusions in 2017/18 - a 70 per cent increase since 2012/13. Meanwhile, there were 47,513 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument in the year ending June 2019 across England and Wales - a 44 per cent increase since March 2011.

Research conducted by the APPG, which is chaired by Sarah Jones MP and supported by Barnardo's and youth charity Redthread, found that a third of local authorities in England do not have spaces in their pupil referral units (PRUs) for excluded children. The APPG warned that young people who do secure a place are sometimes only taught for a couple of hours each day, with a restricted curriculum of just English and Maths.

• Analysis: Vulnerable children bear brunt of school exclusion increases
• Special Report: Gangs and Criminal Exploitation

Labour MP for Croydon Central, Sarah Jones, who chairs the APPG said: "The number of children being excluded from school and locked out of opportunities is a travesty. Often these children have literally nowhere to go. They are easy pickings for criminal gangs looking to exploit vulnerable children.

"Excluding children must be a last resort. But we hear all too often of schools stretched too thin to provide the wrap-around support struggling children need. Cash-strapped councils can't manage the increasing number of excluded children in need of alternative education.

"Our fight against this knife crime epidemic must start from the principle that no child is left behind. Schools and local authorities must be supported by government to do this."

The link between school exclusions and knife crime has previously been raised by the cross-party youth violence commission, chaired by Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft.

Barnardo's chief executive, Javed Khan said children excluded from school are often among the most vulnerable in society, with adverse childhood experiences such as domestic abuse, or parental mental health problems potentially leading to challenging behaviour and expulsion.

"As a former maths teacher I know how hard it can be to meet these children's needs but we must work together to help keep more children in the classroom," he said.

"We know that exclusion too often leads to a ‘poverty of hope' - reducing a child's chance of gaining good qualifications and entering the workplace. With PRUs regarded as a recruiting ground for criminal gangs, it's no surprise children taught there are vulnerable to involvement in drugs and violent crime.

"Exclusions must be a last resort, and alternative education provision must be full-time, high-quality, and properly resourced."

Redthread chief executive, John Poyton said professionals must support children around their vulnerabilities, and "not use exclusion as the first port of call when faced with them".

"Good alternative provision is underpinned by an understanding of vulnerability and trauma-informed approaches, and for a small minority of young people this is the therapeutic space they need," he said.

"But too often exclusion serves only to exacerbate a child's vulnerabilities, and leaves them open to exploitation.

"To prevent unnecessary exclusions we must ensure a trauma-informed approach is integrated into practice in both mainstream education, children's social care as well as across the youth work sector."

The report makes a total of seven recommendations:

• School rankings and results must take account of all pupils, including those they exclude
• All excluded children must have access to the full-time education they are legally entitled to
• All education providers must have the funding and backing they need to support vulnerable children
• Schools must be recognised for the central role they play in a multi-agency response to keeping children safe, with funding to support this work
• Everyone working in the education sector must be trained to understand vulnerability and trauma
• Schools should be supported to focus on prevention and early intervention
• Every council should have a leader responsible for children excluded from school

Following a review of exclusions by former children's minister Edward Timpson, the government has vowed to make schools accountable for excluded pupils.