Number of children expelled from Doncaster schools has dropped dramatically

Council bosses said that exclusions from borough schools fell by 77 per cent. In the previous record academic year, 112 children were expelled but this decreased to just 27.

In primary schools, the council said that just one pupil has been permanently expelled since January 2020.

In recent years, Doncaster has had some of the highest rates of permanent exclusions in the country.

In the school year 2015/2016, there were 5,588 fixed period exclusions in Doncaster – nearly a 31 per cent of the total secondary school population in the area at the time.

The borough was consistently in the top 10 for the highest number of exclusions in the country.

Outwood Academy Adwick even made the national press when it was revealed that the school had excluded 28 per cent of its pupils during the 2017/2018 academic year.

In 2018, one parent told the Guardian that her 13-year daughter had been excluded 30 times with reasons given for exclusion including forgetting stationary and wearing socks with a logo.

Bosses said the reduction was down to stronger working with academy principals and CEOs through the Behaviour Transformation Programme.

DMBC education officials also noted the ‘memorandum of understanding’ with all secondary schools, with the devolved funding used to build ‘early intervention approaches’ alongside direct access to support and guidance to prevent exclusions.

“Fixed term exclusions remain a high priority and the work done is reflected in a 23-place improvement in the national local authority rankings.

“We are aware of the disproportionate impact of a small number of schools on the Doncaster figures and we are working with these schools to proactively redress the situation.

“The council is working to support schools around behaviour policies and continue its preventative approaches, which includes a team around the school, and mental health work. We expect to see positive impacts by the end of this academic year.”