County Hall defends '˜highest' school expulsion figures

By The Newsroom
Published 9th Sep 2017, 13:07 BST
Updated 11th Sep 2017, 12:07 BST
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Lancashire County Council has hit back at new figures which show the county's schools have the highest rate of expulsions in the country.

Data published in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) show Lancashire had the highest number, with children permanently excluded 364 times.

However, County Hall has pointed out it has more schools than any other authority, which is why it is likely to appear near the top, adding: “Fewer than 0.01 per cent of pupils were excluded last year and any increase is not statistically significant.

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“Although this overall percentage is very low, and in line with other local authorities, we are still committed to working with schools to reduce it even more.”

The TES contacted 118 councils via the Freedom of Information Act.

A total of 12 authorities saw the number of permanent exclusions double, and of these, two saw figures rise by more than 200% and one by more than 300%.

In 25 areas, expulsions rose by at least 50%.

In many cases, the actual numbers of permanent exclusions