More disruptive pupils expelled using new powers

The scale of the problem posed by disruptive pupils in secondary schools is revealed today.

Up to 70 per cent of expulsions from London comprehensives are for "persistent disruptive" behaviour, an Evening Standard investigation has shown.

Teachers said so-called "low-level" disruption, when allowed to go unpunished, harms learning for well behaved pupils.

Parents said the lack of specialist units for disruptive children was a major concern.

Margaret Morrissey, spokeswoman for the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations, said: "Parents get fed up that their child isn't getting a proper education because teachers are spending all their time trying to control one or two children."

Local authorities are required to report why pupils in their areas have been suspended or expelled. The Department for Children, Schools and Families said that nationally about 30 per cent of expulsions and 21 per cent of suspensions were for " persistent disruptive behaviour" in 2005-6.

It has now become the largest category for exclusions.

According to figures supplied to the Standard by 24 of London's boroughs, 27.6 per cent of pupils expelled in 2005-6 were kicked out for being persistently disruptive.

Data for 2006-7 from 17 authorities suggested either disruption worsened or more headteachers took a tougher line on such behaviour, as it accounted for about 32 per cent of expulsions.

The other seven authorities did not yet have 2006-7 figures and national data will be published next year.

Havering had the highest proportion of permanent exclusions for disruption, at 69 per cent in 2006 and 70 per cent in 2007. Geoff Starns, Havering's cabinet member for children's services, said this reflected relatively low levels of serious indiscipline, such as physical and verbal attacks by pupils on other children and staff.

He said: "The number of exclusions in Havering is low and without other significant issues in our schools, disruptive behaviour will be the biggest contributor to overall exclusions."

By contrast, Haringey said no pupil had been expelled for disruption in the last school year.

Experts said schools were trying radically different ways of tackling the problem. Researchers from Sussex and Manchester Universities found that while some secondary schools put disruptive pupils into the bottom ability sets, others did the reverse.

They said: "Some schools allocated pupils with behavioural difficulties to high sets irrespective of prior attainment as they believed that the classroom context provided in these groups would promote positive behaviour."

RECORD ACROSS LONDON

The proportion of pupils excluded from secondary schools for "persistent" disruption in 2005-06/2006-07 (%)

Barking and Dagenham - 37.5/39
Barnet - 14.3/6.77
Bexley - 25/60
Bromley - 37/25
Croydon - 50/50
Enfield - 37/N/A
Hackney - 3/19
Hammersmith & Fulham - 30/N/A
Haringey - 3/0
Harrow - 13.5/N/A
Havering - 69/70
Hillingdon - 37.5/56
Kensington & Chelsea - 40/50
Lambeth - 22/22
Lewisham - 11.1/N/A
Merton - 32/N/A
Newham - 42/31
Richmond - 35/8
Southwark - 16/N/A
Sutton - 34/39*
Tower Hamlets - 9.2/17.6
Waltham Forest - 18.9/26.6
Wandsworth - 20.9/28.3
Westminster - 5/N/A
LONDON AVERAGE - 26.8/32.2
NATIONAL AVERAGE - 30

(*temporary figs for Sutton also include primary because figures not broken down)