Credit: Educators.co.uk
The number of pupils excluded from Croydon schools is on the rise again, according to latest figures.
40 pupils were permanently excluded in the 2016-17 school year, the last year for which figures are available. This is double the number of pupils excluded in the previous academic year. The figures for the 2017-18 school year have not yet been released.
Croydon Education and Learning department policy states that expulsions are warranted when there have been “persistent breaches of a school’s behaviour policy and where allowing the pupil to remain in school would seriously harm the education or welfare of the pupil or others in the school”.
Pupils can be expelled for a number of reasons, such as violent behaviour, verbal abuse, or drug and alcohol misuse.
The chart below shows how many pupils have been permanently excluded between 2008 and 2017. The number of exclusions has fallen over the last decade but started to increase again at the end of 2016.
Schools in Croydon that permanently excluded the most pupils in 2016-2017 were:
- Orchard Park – 6
- Oasis Arena – 3
- Thomas More – 2
- Oasis Shirley Park – 1
- Andrew’s High – 0
The decision to exclude a school pupil can have serious consequences, according to the UK’s largest children’s charity Barnardo’s, which campaigns to reduce exclusions. Some youngsters they maintain can find themselves subject to violence or criminal exploitation.
Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan said: “We urge the government to help schools reduce the number of children who are excluded, and improve the quality of alternative provision, so that vulnerable young people get the help they need to achieve a positive future.”
