Wrexham school exclusions increase by around a quarter as cases of bad behaviour continue to rise

THE number of exclusions in Wrexham’s schools has jumped up by around a quarter in a year as cases of bad behaviour continue to rise.
Newly released figures show unruly pupils were subject to 1,155 fixed term exclusions during the 2018/19 school year, compared with 925 in 2017/18, while permanent exclusions went up from 10 to 19.
It means a total of 3,461 days worth of education were lost – a statistic which has more than doubled in the last five years.
The news comes shortly after an inspection reported raised concerns about the level of exclusions in Wrexham’s secondary schools.
Officials from Estyn also said the support provided to reduce rates was “underdeveloped”.
Wrexham Council’s lead member for education said social issues were partly to blame for the increase.
In a report set to go before councillors later this week, Cllr Phil Wynn said: “The trend for 2018/19 saw an increase in permanent exclusions in Wrexham schools.
“This was partly as a result of Wrexham Council continuing to apply a more robust recording process of all permanent exclusions in accordance with Welsh Government guidelines.
“A number of cases were overturned as part of the statutory legal process at independent appeal panels.
“However, the increase in exclusions also reflects the complex social situations that many pupils experience and their exposure to adverse childhood experiences.
“The well-being of pupils is a paramount consideration and multi-agency initiatives have been implemented to support vulnerable pupils and to train staff in Wrexham schools this year.”
The main reasons for exclusions were persistent disruptive behaviour and verbal abuse towards adult, which accounted for approximately 44 per cent of the total.
Last year, councillors heard how mental health issues were contributing to behaviour problems.
As a result, the local authority’s head of education called on politicians to maintain the amount of funding available for counselling services.
Cllr Wynn said a new pilot scheme had been introduced to help school staff to respond to the mental health needs of children.
He said: “This project is being rolled out across Wrexham schools by the child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) in partnership with the education department wellbeing services.
“The programme has been delivered to 60 school staff as of December 2019.
“A progress report has been completed by CAMHS and is attached to this report although it is too soon to be able to evidence outcomes.”
The report on exclusions will be considered by members of the council’s lifelong learning scrutiny committee at a meeting on Thursday .

By Liam Randall – Local Democracy Reporter