Pupils being excluded from school

CHILDREN are being excluded from schools in Wales for assaulting staff.

The cases were revealed in responses to freedom of information requests from the Leader’s sister paper, the South Wales Echo.

Our findings also showed seven pupils in Caerphilly were permanently excluded for assaulting staff last year while two children in Rhondda Cynon Taf were expelled in 2018-19 for attacking staff.

Violence against staff in Cardiff schools prompted more than 900 exclusions in years to 2018.

There were 72 fixedterm exclusions for assaults on staff in Merthyr Tydfil area schools in 2018-19 alone.

Teaching union NASUWT Cymru said it was “shocking” teachers were being assaulted by their youngest pupils and warned violence is now even more of a worry with the risk of Covid-19 infection. temporary the four The union has asked schools to review behaviour policies in light of the risk of the virus being spread from shouting, spitting, and assault by pupils.

In Rhondda Cynon Taf, In 2018-19 some 23 pupils were permanently excluded compared to eight the previous year, 20 in 2016-17, four in 201516, and 20 in 2014-15. None were primary pupils.

Some of the reasons for permanent exclusions included:

2018-19: physical assault against staff - two;

2018-19: physical assault against pupil eight; and

2018-19: verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour towards adult - one.

In 2018-19 there were 2,681 fixed-term exclusions, slightly up on 2,198 the previous year.

Of these six were for bullying, 99 for damage, 690 for persistent disruptive behaviour, and 359 for physical assault against a pupil.

A further 239 were for physical assault against staff compared with 188 for this reason the previous year, 135 in 2016-17, 113 in 2015-16, and 83 in 2014-15.

There were 637 fixedterm exclusions for verbal abuse and threatening behaviour to an adult last year compared with 485 the previous year and 361 in 2014-15.

A further 20 fixed-term exclusions in 2018-19 were for racist incidents, nine for sexual misconduct, and 119 for substance misuse.

The rest were for disruption and other incidents.

Among fixed-term exclusions 26 were in reception classes in 201819, the same number as in 2017-18.

That has been rising in the last few years from just seven fixed-term exclusions in reception-age pupils in 2014 to 12 in 2015-16, 15 in 2016-17, and 26 each year after.

There were 26 fixedterm exclusions among year ones last year compared to eight in 2014-15.

In Blaenau Gwent, there were fewer than five permanent exclusions in 2018 compared to 10 in 2017 and 12 in 2016.

Reasons for fixed-term exclusions included racist incidents (six) and violence against staff 193 (compared to 227 in 2017) while 97 were for violence against another pupil and six for bullying.

In Caerphilly, in 2019 26 pupils were permanently excluded compared with 28 in 2018, 25 in 2017, 16 in 2016 and eight in 2015.

Of those one was in year four of primary and the rest were secondary