WEDNESDAY 4 MARCH 2020Excluded pupils must stay in
full-time education ‘to prevent
them joining gangs’
ELEANOR BUSBY
EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT
Headteachers should make sure excluded pupils enter full-time education to reduce the risk of them joining
gangs, a report from a government-funded panel has said.
School exclusions escalate the risk of criminals coercing teenagers into knife crime and drug trafficking,
according to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel. Permanent exclusions have been described as a
“tipping point” for children to encounter greater risk of harm, particularly if pupils were left waiting for
months for alternative provision to be found.
The panel’s review calls for safeguarding agencies and heads to ensure pupils are given a suitable full-time
education to compensate for the “rejection” that exclusions can cause. Activities for pupils recently
excluded could include music or football, the review suggests, as these are popular with young males and
can help raise their self-esteem.
Some colleges’ decisions not to admit children because of their past behaviour may have propelled them
into “greater engagement with criminal gangs” as no alternative offer was available, the independent panel,
which was set up by the Department for Education (DfE), has said. It adds that alternative provision for
pupils excluded from schools, such as Pupil Referral Units (PRUs), can also become an “arena for gang
rivalries” which become dangerous for students.
The report comes after the government pledged to make headteachers accountable for the exam results of
students they exclude to reduce numbers taken out of education.
Last year, former education secretary Damian Hinds admitted the number of exclusions was too high as he
endorsed a report by ex-children’s minister Edward Timpson.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Schools are
well aware that children at risk of exclusion are themselves vulnerable young people who may also be at risk
of being drawn into criminality, and they exhaust every possible alternative before taking the decision to
exclude.
“They take that decision in the best interests of other children who have a right to learn in a calm and safe
environment. What is important is that the child who is excluded then receives high-quality support in a
new setting, whether that be in another school or pupil referral unit.
“Headteachers and their staff work incredibly hard to provide this support, and it is important to highlight
the fact that over 80 per cent of pupil referral units are rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted. However,