413 pupils kicked out of school inside a year

CHILDREN were kicked out of school in Oldham more than 400 times last year for physically attacking a pupil or an adult.

There were 1,280 suspensions and 60 expulsions in the borough's schools in 2014/15 according to Department for Education statistics.

The most common reasons were physical attacks and persistent disruptive behaviour, but others included sexual misconduct, racial abuse and drugs or alcohol.

There were 260 fixed period exclusions for assaults on pupils and 140 on adults in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools.

Thirteen were also permanently excluded for attacking another child.

The total ­- 413 ­- is the same as the number of fixed and permanent exclusions for persistent bad behaviour. There were also 240 fixed period exclusions for verbal abuse, 50 for drug or alcohol incidents, 40 for damage, 20 each for sexual misconduct, racist abuse and bullying, 10 for for theft and 20 for "other" reasons.

Rose

The overall number of permanent exclusions in England rose 17 per cent from 4,950 to 5,800 year-on-year, while temporary exclusions rose 12 per cent from 269,480 to 302,980.

The most common cause of both types of sanction was permanent disruptive behaviour.

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: "The use of exclusions as a last resort is a vital backstop for a school's behaviour policy, as persistently poor behaviour from a tiny minority of pupils can disrupt the education of many or even threaten their safety."