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This document contains analysis of the exclusions data for 2005/06. Information relates to local authority schools only. Exclusions include both temporary exclusions and pupils removed from the register.

Nearly all of this publication refers to cases of exclusion, which must not be confused with the number of pupils excluded, as some pupils were excluded more than once during the year.

The main findings are:

• During 2005/06 there were 42,990 exclusions from local authority schools in Scotland, an increase of two per cent from 2004/05. The number of exclusions has risen each year since 2002/03. About 22,500 different pupils (three per cent of pupils) were excluded during the year.
• Over 99 per cent of all exclusions were temporary. In 264 cases, pupils were removed from the register of the school, a decrease of three per cent from the 2004/05 figure of 271 (See Background Note 5 below).
• Overall, male pupils accounted for 78 per cent of exclusions. The proportion has decreased from 81 per cent in 1999/2000.
• There were 5,779 exclusions from local authority primary schools, 13 per cent of the total, and equivalent to 15 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. The number is a nine per cent increase from 5,319 exclusions in 2004/05.
• There were 36,136 exclusions from local authority secondary schools, 84 per cent of the total, and equivalent to 114 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. Exclusion rates peaked during S3, with 198 exclusions per 1,000 pupils. The number of exclusions in secondary has increased by two per cent from 35,513 exclusions in 2004/05.
• There were 1,075 exclusions from local authority special schools, three per cent of the total, and equivalent to 159 exclusions per 1,000 pupils.
• As in previous years exclusion rates were highest during the Christmas to Easter term, with mid March and the first week of February being the highest weeks.
• Ninety per cent of all temporary exclusions lasted one week or less. The average length was 3 1/2 days.
• Of the 22,500 pupils excluded, 59 per cent were excluded on one occasion only during the year and 19 per cent were excluded twice during the year.
• Pupils from minority ethnic groups generally had an exclusion rate considerably lower than white- UK pupils, but with rates varying widely across the different ethnic groups (See Background Note 10 below). Black Caribbean pupils had the highest rates of exclusion, with Asian-Chinese the lowest.
• Although information on pupils with a disability was incomplete in the 2005 school census, where pupils had been assessed or declared as having a disability the rate of exclusion was 50 per cent higher than amongst other pupils.
• Among pupils with additional support needs, exclusions were generally more common in mainstream classes than in special schools. Pupils in special classes within mainstream schools had the lowest exclusion rate. Pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties had the highest rates of exclusion.
• Pupils registered for free school meals, pupils with additional support needs, and pupils looked after by the local authority all had higher exclusion rates than other pupils. Where a pupil had all three of these factors the exclusion rate was 15 times that of pupils with none of them.
• Reasons for exclusion showed that 31 per cent of exclusions involved general or persistent disobedience; 25 per cent involved verbal abuse of members of staff; and 15 per cent involved insolent or offensive behaviour.
• In terms of the cause or motivating factor for the incident, 0.4 per cent of incidents were caused by substance abuse, 0.3 per cent were racially motivated, 0.3 per cent were due to the medical condition of the pupil, and 0.3 per cent were caused by alcohol abuse.
• Overall, there were 60 exclusions per 1,000 pupils from local authority primary, secondary, and special schools in Scotland in 2005/06. This ranged between local authorities from 122 per 1,000 pupils to 6 per 1,000 pupils.

BACKGROUND NOTES

General background

1. Under Circulars 10/93 and 1/95, local authorities are required each year to collect certain statistics from schools on exclusions. The statistics relate to half-days of temporary exclusions and number of pupils removed from the register (previously known as 'permanent' exclusions).

2. In April 1998, the then Scottish Office issued Circular 2/98 to local authorities, informing them of a formal requirement to report, record and monitor additional information on exclusions from schools starting from the 1998/99 school year. Since 2003/04 an agreed set of information on each exclusion has been sent to the Scottish Executive as part of the ScotXed programme of data exchange.

3. Following an answer to a Parliamentary Question in June 2003, the Executive issued Circular 8/03 in November 2003, which gave revised guidance and formally informed local authorities that the target to reduce exclusions had been dropped.

4. An exclusion is temporary when a pupil is excluded from a school but remains on the register of that school because they are expected to return when the exclusion period is completed. The term 'removed from the register' refers to a pupil who is excluded and their name removed from the school register. Such a pupil would then be educated at another school or via some other form of provision.

5. Local authorities may also reach agreements with parents to move a pupil to another school without the use of a formal 'removal from register', but where the pupil is unlikely to have the option of staying in the school.

Issues relating to data

6. This survey covers local authority primary, secondary and special schools.

7. Since 2003/04 data has been collected at individual level, enabling greater analysis. This also enabled linkage to the September pupil census information. However in 2005/06 for 2,014 exclusions (five per cent) linkage to the census dataset was not possible, due mainly to a change of pupil identifier. This has been shown in all relevant tables as "data not available".

8. While information is received at pupil level, there was no unique pupil identifier in place throughout the year for tracking pupils who move school to another authority. This means that in analysis where the distinction between different pupils is important ( e.g. the number of individual pupils excluded) some pupils with two or more exclusions may have been counted as separate pupils with one exclusion each. Pupils now have a unique identifier and in future years the issues raised in notes 6 and 7 will not exist.

9. It was found that information on temporary exclusions was not consistent with information on absence due to temporary exclusion received in the attendance survey. Validation checks have been built into information systems to ensure that consistent data is recorded, and this problem is being reduced.

10. In table 9, a two-year average of exclusion rate per 1,000 pupils has been used to reduce the instability in rates of exclusion due to small numbers in several minority ethnic groups. This analysis may be affected by the three per cent of pupils in the school census for whom ethnicity is not disclosed, or the 2,014 exclusions for which data could not be matched to the school census information.

11. Data was collected on whether a child was looked after by the local authority at the time of their exclusion from school. This indicator has been used to calculate numbers of exclusions in table 11. Figures for the number of pupils who have been looked after at any point during the year are not collected centrally. It has therefore been necessary to calculate rates based on those pupils who were looked after at the time of the census.

Other information

12. Where a figure is zero, or rounds to zero, the symbol - is used.
In data on special schools, local authorities are marked as "n/a" where there are no special schools.

13. All percentages and rates are rounded separately and breakdowns may consequently not sum to 100 per cent.

14. This report was edited by: Mal Cooke, Carrie Graham, Colin Gallacher.

15. This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

16. All tables are available on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00559

Enquiries

17. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this notice should be addressed to

Telephone 0131 244 1689
or e-mail school.stats@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

18. Media enquiries about the information in this notice should be addressed to:
Marion MacKay : 0131 244 3070

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