VIOLENCE in the classroom is on the rise— with violent behaviour, drugs and alcohol issues in schools accounting for nearly a quarter of school exclusions in Bolton.

Saiqa Chaudhari reports

More than 2,000 pupils in state-maintained primary and secondary schools in Bolton were handed permanent or fixed-period exclusions for assaulting a pupil or adult, or for drug and alcohol issues between 2015/16 and 2017/18.

And the number of total exclusions being handed out by schools has risen year-on-year in the same time period ­— from 2,202 to 3,394. This also includes exclusions for bullying and persistent disruptive behaviour.

The rise ­— which is mirrored nationally ­— in exclusions for violence is being blamed on the Government for stripping special support for pupils with challenging behaviour.

Figures from the Department for Education (DfE), and analysed by Newsquest's Data Investigations Unit, show that violence in Bolton's schools has increased.

The total number of exclusions due to physical assault against pupil, adult, and drug and alcohol-related have risen from 592 in 2015 to 783 in 2018 ­— accounting for 23 per cent of all exclusions.

The number of exclusion notices handed out for physical assault against a pupil rose to 494 in 2017/18 from 425 the previous year. And that figure for physical assault against an adult remained the same at 226 but the figure had increased from 182 in 2015/16.

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Exclusions due to drug or alcohol related issues in Bolton schools has fallen, with 63 such notices handed out compared to 98 in 2016/17.

Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for children’s services, Cllr Christine Wild, said:

“Our local statistics reflect UK-wide trends, and like other parts of the country we have seen an increase in exclusions and incidents in the classroom.

“We are working with schools to address this increase and permanent exclusion is only ever used as a last resort.

“Our excellent pupil referral unit service provides support to schools when they are faced with challenging behaviour.”

Nationally, more than 303,000 children in state-maintained primary and secondary schools in England were handed permanent or fixed-period exclusions for assaulting a pupils or adult, or for drug and alcohol issues, between 2015/16 and 2017/18

Chris Keates, acting general secretary of teachers’ union NASWUT, said poor discipline of pupils was one of the main reasons why teachers considered leaving the profession.

She said: “It is common for people to assume behaviour problems are confined to secondary schools, but in fact, that has never been the case.

“Primary school teachers also face equally challenging and serious pupil indiscipline, but they are often discouraged from raising the issues, and led to believe it will reflect negatively on them because of the age of pupils.

“For too long, too many teachers have suffered in silence.”

Ms Keates added that being verbally and physically abused, in some cases daily, is impacting teacher’s mental health.

She said: “No teacher should have to go to work with the expectation they will be abused. All workers are entitled to a safe working environment, free from violence and disruption.

“The Government must take responsibility for the impact of policies which have reduced, or removed, internal and external specialist support for pupils for whom behaviour issues are a barrier to learning.”

The DfE said the Government backed headteachers to use their powers to issue fixed-period exclusions in response to poor behaviour.

But permanent exclusions should be a last resort, the department added.

Where pupils are excluded, the DfE said the “quality of education they receive should be no different than mainstream settings”.

A spokesman added: “The Government supports headteachers in using exclusion as a sanction where warranted. That means backing heads to use their powers to issue fixed-period exclusions in response to poor behaviour and to permanently exclude as a last resort.

“While fixed-period exclusion rates have risen, permanent exclusion rates have remained stable, and they are both lower than they were a decade ago.

“Permanent exclusion remains a rare event.”