250 exclusion days for schoolchildren in care

City Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, to question whether schools were doing enough to help their most vulnerable pupils.

She said: “There’s been quite a bit in the media about certain of our secondary schools where discipline seemstobeprioritisedandthe needs of the child is second to that.I’mconcernedaboutchildren with behavioural issues and how they deal with those sorts of schools.”

Coun Farthing was speakingatameetingofthecouncil’s Corporate Parenting Panel.

Areportfromthecity’s‘virtual school’, which provides extra teaching and support for looked after children, said justsevenpupilshadaccounted for 90 days of exclusions.

Reasons for exclusion in 2018/19 had included attacks on fellow pupils and school staff, verbal abuse and threatening behaviour, but it added there had been no ‘permanent exclusions’ of looked after children during the year.

“Two of our secondary schools,it’sfairtosay,havehad a very difficult year in terms of behaviour management,” said Jill Colbert, chief executive of Together for Children, the organisation responsible for children’s services in Sunderland.

“One has now recruited an early help worker which has resulted in significant improvement in the behaviour and fixed term exclusions.

“Andanotherschoolwhich had a turbulent year are also purchasingearlyhelpstaffing and working with our school improvement service.”

Earlier it was revealed Red House Academy, in Sunderland, had the highest fixedtermexclusionrateinEngland during 2017/18, with 254 pupils excluded at least once.

At the meeting, Linda Mason, headteacher at Sunderland’s Virtual School for Looked After Children, said she wanted to see all children in care in the city of a ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ school.

“However, we have to carefully assess the needs of a child in any school setting.”