Hundreds of pupils excluded for attacking staff at Black Country and Staffordshire schools

Teaching unions say Government cuts to funding have left schools less able to help children with challenging behaviour before it escalates.

New figures from the Department for Education show schools across the region excluded students 848 times for assaulting adults in 2017-18 – although it was a drop from 981 the previous year.

There were 153 exclusions in Sandwell for assaulting adults, 141 in Walsall, 154 in Dudley, 129 in Wolverhampton and 280 in Staffordshire.

Of the 848 exclusions, 795 were temporary exclusions and 53 were permanent.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said teachers often cite pupil behaviour as a reason why they walk away from the profession.

She added: “Cuts to school and local authority budgets, however, mean many support services such as behavioural specialists, who used to help in schools, have gone.”

Total exclusions were more than 14,700 in the Black Country and Staffordshire, but the vast majority of these were later allowed back.

Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton’s schools excluded pupils 120 times for assaulting adults in 2017-18, a rise from 113 the previous year.

Of these, 108 were temporary exclusions and 12 were permanent.

Councillor Michael Hardacre, education boss at Wolverhampton Council, said: “We take the welfare of staff working in our schools very seriously, and just one attack on a teacher is one too many.”

“All schools have a behaviour policy which is regularly reviewed and behaviour support plans are put in place for individual pupils as appropriate, and dependant on any risk they may be deemed to pose.”

Walsall

Walsall’s schools excluded students 141 times for assaulting adults in 2017-18 – although it was a drop from 166 the previous year.

Of these, 136 were temporary exclusions and five were permanent.

Councillor Chris Towe, Walsall Council’s portfolio holder for education and skills, said: “The local authority is continuing to work in partnership with all Walsall schools to further reduce the level of exclusions that occur in future.”

Sandwell

Sandwell’s schools made 153 school exclusions for assaults on adults in 2017-18 – although this was a drop from 202 the previous year.

Of these, 148 were temporary exclusions and five were permanent.

A spokesman from Sandwell Council said they would not be commenting on the figures.

Dudley

Dudley’s schools excluded pupils 154 times for assaulting adults in 2017-18 – a drop from 220 the previous year.

Of these, 142 were temporary exclusions – including those with special educational needs and disabilities – and 12 were permanent. Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of Dudley Council, said: “Assaults are rare in Dudley but they are rightly treated as a very serious matter when they do occur.

Staffordshire

Staffordshire’s schools excluded students 280 times for assaulting adults in 2017-18 – in line with figures from the previous year.

Of these, 261 were temporary exclusions and 19 were permanent.

Mark Sutton, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: “We deplore every incidence of violence in our schools and support the head and governors when they take the decision to exclude a pupil who has acted violently. If a pupil is excluded permanently we work with them to decide the best way to continue their education.”