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NEWS RELEASE
EXCLUSIONS FROM SCHOOLS, 2000-2001

A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication

20 February 2002

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The results of the third annual survey on exclusions from schools are published today by the Scottish Executive Education Department. The results relate to the school year 2000-2001.

Exclusions, in this context, include both temporary exclusions and exclusions/removed from the register. 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 ‘exclusion/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. The process of being removed and subsequently receiving education elsewhere can either take place with, or without a break in school attendance.

The main findings are:

• During 2000-2001 there were 38,656 exclusions from Local Authority primary, secondary, and special primary, secondary and special schools in Scotland, a decrease of 0.3 per cent from the 1999-2000 figure of 38,769. Eighty six per cent were from secondary schools, 12 per cent were from primary schools, and 3 per cent were from special schools. (Tables 1, 2a, 2b and 2c)
• Over 99 per cent of all exclusions were temporary. In only 322 cases were pupils removed from the register of the school, a decrease of 11 per cent from the 1999-2000 figure of 360. (Table 1)
• Overall, male pupils accounted for around 81 per cent of all exclusions. By sector, male pupils accounted for around 93 per cent of all exclusions from primary schools, 79 per cent from secondary schools, and 89 per cent from special schools. (Tables 2a, 2b and 2c)
• Nearly half of all temporary exclusions, with a known duration, were for either 6 half-days (30 per cent) or 4 half-days (19 per cent) duration. A further 27 per cent were for 10 half-days duration or more. (Table 3)
• During 2000-2001, 21,598 pupils were temporarily excluded from school. Sixty per cent of these pupils were excluded on one occasion only. 19 per cent were temporarily excluded twice, and 9 per cent were temporarily excluded three times. Six per cent of all pupils temporarily excluded were excluded 5 times or more. (Table 4)
• Of all exclusions with known circumstances, 24 per cent were for general or persistent disobedience; 17 per cent involved verbal abuse of members of staff; and 13 per cent involved physical abuse of fellow pupils. (Table 6)
• Of all exclusions: 45 per cent involved children entitled to free school meals; 4 per cent involved children with a Record of Needs and 4 per cent involved children looked after by the Local Authority. Comparison with the overall school population shows that pupils entitled to free school meals, or with a Record of Needs, or looked after by the Local Authority, had higher exclusion rates than other pupils. (Table 7)
• Overall, there were 51 exclusions per 1,000 pupils from Local Authority primary, secondary, and special schools in Scotland in 2000-2001. The highest exclusion rates were in West Dunbartonshire (117 per 1,000), Renfrewshire (103 per 1,000) and Glasgow (96 per 1,000). (Table 8)

TABLES

Table 1 - Total number of exclusions from Local Authority primary, secondary and special schools, by type of exclusion, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.

Table 2a - Exclusions from Local Authority primary schools, by stage and gender, 2000-2001.

Table 2b - Exclusions from Local Authority secondary schools, by stage and gender, 2000-2001.

Table 2c - Exclusions from Local Authority special schools, by gender, 2000-2001.

Table 3 - Temporary exclusions by duration, 2000-2001.

Table 4 - Exclusions by the number of times that pupils were temporarily excluded, 2000-2001.

Table 5 - Total number of exclusions by ethnic background, 2000-2001.

Table 6 - Total number of exclusions, by circumstances, 2000-2001.

Table 7 - Other information on exclusions, 2000-2001.

Table 8 - Exclusions from Local Authority primary, secondary, and special schools, by type of exclusion and Local Authority, 2000-2001.

Table 9 - Temporary exclusions from Local Authority primary, secondary and special schools, by different pupils temporarily excluded, half-days lost and Local Authority, 2000-2001.

NOTES TO NEWS EDITORS

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 excluded/removed from the register (previously known as ‘permanent’ exclusions).
2. In April 1998, the then Scottish Office issued Circular 2/98 to Local Authorities in Scotland, informing them of a formal requirement to report, record and monitor additional information onf exclusions from schools starting from the 1998-1999 school year.
3. Also, on 20 July 1999, the Scottish Executive published an Action Plan for the implementation in Scotland of the recommendations made in the Macpherson Report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. In the Action Plan, the Executive made a commitment to publish information at a national level on the ethnic identity of excluded pupils in Scotland.
4. .Following the issue of Circular 2/98, the Scottish Executive collected and collated this additional information from Local Authorities for the first time in September 1999.

5. This is the third year that this ‘Exclusions from Schools’ survey has been run. Returns were received from all Local Authorities. However, some authorities did not provide complete information on the number of exclusions by ethnic background, duration, or circumstance of the exclusions within their schools. Some authorities were also not able to provide information on the number of times that pupils were excluded. Therefore, the results for these four categories have been expressed as a percentage of known information.

6. The duration of temporary exclusions is not always specified exactly (Table 3). For the purposes of calculating the number of half-days lost due to temporary exclusions (Table 9), the following estimations are used:

Similarly, Table 3 shows that some durations are recorded as ‘not known’. For Table 9, their duration is taken to be the average for temporary exclusions where duration is known (8.36 half-days).

Enquiries

7. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this News Release should be addressed to Neil White, Assistant Statistician, Scottish Executive Education Department, Area 1A, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Telephone 0131 244 0300 or e-mail neil.white@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

8. Media enquiries about the information in this News Release should be addressed to:

Barry Winter: 0131 244 2087

News Release
20 February 2002

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