Agenda item

Councillor Neghat Khan, Portfolio Holder for Education and Skills, along with Nick Lee, Head of Access and Inclusion introduced the report on school exclusions. They gave a presentation outlining work taking place to try and reduce the level of permanent exclusions from schools within the City, and highlighted the following points:

(a)  The permanent exclusion rate at the end of the 2017/18 academic year was 97, which is an improvement from the rate at the end of the 2016/17 academic year of 121. Although this is a reduction of 24 permanent exclusions, the rate is still higher than the national average. The forecasted permanent exclusion rate for the end of the 2018/19 academic year is 82;

(b)  At secondary level the main driver for exclusion is persistent disruptive behaviour, and at primary level the main driver for exclusion is physical assault on staff;

(c)  A new Low Exclusion Model and Service Level Agreement, a model for secondary school academies to commit to reducing their permanent exclusion numbers, has been agreed and adopted by ten of the City’s seventeen academies. Dialogue will continue with the seven academies that have not agreed and adopted the model to encourage wider engagement.

(d)  Routes 2 Inclusion, a model of early identification for primary age pupils at risk of future exclusion is being launched this term in the hope that it will promote a long-term reduction in exclusions;

(e)  Development of the Priority Families model of identifying the wider domestic challenges that children may be facing in their family life, which then translates into behaviour issues at school, is currently underway at both primary and secondary level;

(f)  A programme of support is available for parents to guide them through the exclusion process and provide advice around their right to challenge a school’s decision to exclude;

(g)  The programme of initiatives aimed at reducing exclusions, including the Low Exclusion Model, Routes 2 Inclusion and Priority Families model could be the reason why permanent school exclusions have fallen over the last year.

Following discussion, the Committee agreed that that there needs to be continued engagement with the seven schools that have not agreed to and adopted the new Low Exclusion Model to encourage wider engagement and ensure that all schools are committed to reducing permanent exclusion rates in the City. The Committee will continue to review progress in reducing permanent exclusion rates including through speaking to the Regional Schools Commissioner, speaking with academies not currently involved with local initiatives, and reviewing Council progress on developing the Low Exclusion Model and other initiatives.

RESOLVED to review progress in reducing permanent exclusions from City schools by:

i)  speaking to the Regional Schools Commissioner, scheduled to attend the Committee’s meeting in January, about his role in relation to school exclusions and accountability for school exclusions by academies;

ii)  speaking to academies, including the Creative Education Trust which runs Bulwell Academy, which is scheduled to attend the Committee’s meeting in January, about their engagement with the Low Exclusion Model and other initiatives aimed at reducing permanent exclusions; and

iii)  reviewing  levels of permanent exclusions and overall progress with the various initiatives aimed at reducing permanent exclusions in one year’s time.