Council that needs lesson in discipline

A LABOUR council has been accused of ‘unleashing hell’ after becoming the first to end exclusions for disruptive pupils in schools.

Southwark Council said the ‘100 per cent inclusion’ drive would prevent children ‘falling out of society’.

It means all secondary schools in the south London borough will agree to keep badly behaved pupils, unless they put another child’s safety at risk.

But last night critics questioned how teachers could enforce classroom discipline with such a move. Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education said: ‘Southwark is about to unleash hell on many hard-working, well-behaved pupils, especially those from underprivileged homes, who simply want a chance in life.’

The move came in response to a 2020 report which found Southwark had a higher than average rate of exclusion.