More children may be expelled from our schools

THE number of children excluded from the borough’s schools could be higher this municipal year than last, if removals continue at the current rate.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed that 35 secondary children were expelled before the end of November last year. If that pattern continues, it would see more than 50 pupils excluded by the close of the municipal year at the end of March.

That compares to 47 exclusions during the previous municipal year, and 46 in 2016/17.

Meanwhile primary schools have enforced ten exclusions over the same period to November last year – including one fiveyear-old.

However, Coun Kieran Heakin – Rochdale council’s children’s services chief – says he expects exclusion rates to remain in line with previous years and those at comparable local authorities.

“It’s not on my radar as a major issue that we are concerned about at the moment,” he said.

Most exclusions are made as a result of violent behaviour and vandalism and Coun Heakin is keen to stress that the sanction is used only as a last resort.

He said: “We try our best to keep the children in schools, because that’s where they should be – in school working and progressing.

“Schools will not exclude children for trivial reasons. If a child is excluded the school will have gone through the correct procedure.

“There’s a lot of family stress when they get home and a lot of stress from social media – there’s massive online bullying.”

Schools can also deal with challenging behaviour by using ‘internal exclusions’ – where pupils receive specialist support away from their peers. The process usually only lasts a few days and Coun Heakin believes this approach can be highly effective.

Once a child is excluded the local authority must find a place for them in a Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) within five days.

Coun Lynne Brosnan, ●●Council schools chief Coun Kieran Heakin (inset) said the number of exclusions was not a major issue for concern at the moment who sits on the health, schools and care overview and scrutiny committee, has previously voiced concerns over the impact exclusions can have on children’s lives.

She said: “I think we should be doing everything we can possibly do to avoid exclusions. There’s a trend nationally – not just in Rochdale – of children being excluded from school and then end up wandering around streets and all the rest of it.”