Pupil Exclusions: Violence
Education
Chris Skidmore (Kingswood, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what number and proportion of fixed-period exclusions in maintained schools were for acts of violence in each year since 1997.
Nick Gibb (Minister of State (Schools), Education; Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, Conservative)
The available data, on the number and proportion of fixed period exclusions for physical assault against both pupils and adults, are shown in the table.
Reasons for exclusion were collected for the first time for the school year 2003/04 via the Termly Exclusions Survey. In 2005/06 data were collected via the School Census for secondary schools only. From 2006/07 the collection was extended to include primary and special schools.
Any violence against school staff is totally unacceptable. Head teachers may decide that permanent exclusion is appropriate in some cases, but opt to use a fixed-term exclusion or other disciplinary penalty for less major incidents such as obstruction or jostling.
| Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) . Number and proportion of fixed period exclusions that were for physical assault-England | ||||||||
| Physical assault against a pupil | Physical assault against an adult | Total physical assaults against a pupil or an adult | Total exclusions (any reasons) | |||||
| Number of fixed period exclusions | Percentage of all fixed period exclusions( 4) | Number of fixed period exclusions | Percentage of all fixed period exclusions( 4) | Number of fixed period exclusions | Percentage of all fixed period exclusions( 4) | Number of fixed period exclusions | Percentage of all fixed period exclusions( 4) | |
| 2003/04 | 69,020 | 20.0 | 15,990 | 4.6 | 85,010 | 24.7 | 344,510 | 100 |
| 2004/05 | 80,700 | 20.7 | 18,480 | 4.7 | 99,180 | 25.5 | 389,560 | 100 |
| 2005/06 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006/07 | 79,130 | 18.6 | 18,530 | 4.4 | 97,660 | 23.0 | 425,280 | 100 |
| 2007/08 | 71,280 | 18.6 | 17,810 | 4.6 | 89,100 | 23.2 | 383,520 | 100 |
| 2008/09 | 69,020 | 19.0 | 17,120 | 4.7 | 86,130 | 23.7 | 362,870 | 100 |
| '-' Comparable data not available. Data were only collected for secondary schools in 2005/06. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Excludes non-maintained special schools and general hospital schools. (4) The number of exclusions by reason expressed as a percentage of the total number of exclusions. Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census and Termly Exclusions Survey | ||||||||