14 pupils excluded for assault with a weapon every week
SCOTS schools are excluding an average of 14 pupils a week over assaults involving weapons – including knives.
The figures come despite calls for action after an inquiry into the death of 16-year-old Bailey Gwynne, who was stabbed in a row over a packet of biscuits at Cults Academy in Aberdeen. The probe concluded his death could have been prevented.
The Scottish Tories said the rise in exclusions involving weapons would ‘horrify’ parents and demonstrated a problem with discipline in classrooms.
The Scottish Government said it was working with schools and local authorities on anti-violence campaigns.
Data for 2016-17 revealed 311 instances of a pupil being excluded for using a weapon to assault another pupil or member of staff and a further 428 incidents involving improvised weapons.
The total of 739 is up on the 661 recorded in 2014-15 and 710 in 2012-13. The rise in weapon-related incidents has come despite the overall number of exclusions falling.
Scottish Tory early years spokesman Michelle Ballantyne said: ‘While it’s generally welcome to see a reduction in the number of exclusions in recent years, the individual reasons are alarming.
‘Parents will be horrified two pupils a day are excluded for violent incidents involving a weapon, either conventional or improvised. That shows a problem with discipline remains within our schools and that teachers need more support in dealing with it for the sake of their own safety and that of other pupils.
‘If children aren’t shown now that the use of weapons won’t be tolerated, the chances are they’ll continue doing it into adulthood. These figures are a cause of concern, not just for schools but for society more generally.’
Exclusions as a result of assaults involving no weapon were up, with 4,635 instances in 2016-17, a rise from 3,990 and 4,371 in the previous years. The figures also showed exclusions as a result of physical assaults on staff increased, up 23 per cent from 1,588 in 2014-15 to 1,990 in 2016-17.
Overall, the number of exclusions declined, down from 18,430 in 2014-15 to 18,377 in 2016-17.
The figures show 336 children were excluded for threatening to use a weapon, 1,734 for fighting and 361 for sub- stance misuse. Theft led to 89 exclusions, fire-raising to 190 and indecent exposure to 14.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘These figures should be seen in the overall context of a 64 per cent reduction in crimes of handling offensive weapons over the last decade.
‘The number of overall exclusions is also less than half the comparable figure from 2006-07. We are working with schools and local authorities on anti-violence campaigns and curriculum programmes on a range of initiatives.
‘In Scotland, it is already illegal to sell knives or similar products with blades or points to anyone under 18, including online, and illegal to sell kitchen knives to under-16s.
‘The Justice Secretary wrote to the UK Government last year, raising concerns about the online sale of knives and the need for a joined-up approach to address these concerns. The UK Government has committed to working with us and we would expect to be fully involved as this important proposal is further developed.’
‘Parents will be horrified’