This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Exclusions from School 2003-2004
22/02/2005
The results of a new exclusions survey are published today, providing greater detail than the previous survey to enable analysis of characteristics of excluded pupils.
Information relates to local authority and mainstream grant aided schools only. Exclusions include both temporary exclusions and pupils removed from the register.
Most of the data refers to cases of exclusion, which should not be confused with the number of pupils excluded, as some pupils were excluded more than once during the year.
During 2003/04, the target to reduce the number of exclusions from schools was discontinued.
The main findings of the survey are:
- During 2003/04 there were 38,919 exclusions from local authority schools in Scotland, an increase of seven per cent from 2002/03. About 21,000 different pupils (three per cent) were excluded
- Over 99 per cent of all exclusions were temporary. In 176 cases, pupils were removed from the register of the school, a decrease of 40 per cent from the 2002/03 figure of 292
- Overall, male pupils accounted for 79 per cent of exclusions
- There were 4,478 exclusions from publicly funded primary schools, twelve per cent of the total, and equivalent to eleven exclusions per 1,000 pupils
- Exclusions in primary school had previously decreased from 4,495 in 1999/2000 to 4,131 in 2002/03
- There were 33,472 exclusions from publicly funded secondary schools, 86 per cent of the total, and equivalent to 105 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. Exclusion rates peaked during S3, with 185 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. Exclusions in local authority secondary schools had previously decreased from 33,197 in 1999/2000 to 31,055 in 2002/03
- There were 976 exclusions from local authority special schools, three per cent of the total, and equivalent to 134 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. Exclusions in special schools have generally increased since 1999/2000
- Exclusion rates were highest during the Christmas to Easter term. This may reflect normal patterns of exclusion, but may also be affected by the dropping of targets to reduce exclusions, which was announced in November
- Eighty per cent of all temporary exclusions lasted one week or less
- Of the 21,000 pupils excluded, 61 per cent were excluded on one occasion only and 19 per cent were excluded twice
- Comparison with the overall school population shows that pupils entitled to free school meals, pupils with a Record of Needs, or pupils looked after by the local authority, all had higher exclusion rates than other pupils
- A quarter of exclusions were due to general or persistent disobedience; 22 per cent involved verbal abuse of members of staff; and 14 per cent involved physical abuse of fellow pupils
- Overall, there were 53 exclusions per 1,000 pupils from local authority primary, secondary, and special schools in Scotland in 2003/04. This ranged between local authorities from 6 per 1,000 to 97 per 1,000