Sex acts, racial slurs and violent attacks are just some of the reasons children as young as eight have been excluded in Islington – and that’s just in THREE schools.
In one case a year nine pupil was permanently excluded for carrying a knife, while another child in the same year was booted out for setting off fireworks.
A child in year four was asked to leave after beating up a fellow pupil, and another was excluded for attacking a teacher.
One year ten pupil was disciplined for “sexual misconduct”, while another was shown the door for racial abuse.
In the majority of cases children have escaped permanent exclusion, despite hundreds of cases of physical abuse toward other students and teachers, over the last three years.
In 2010-11, there were 226 fixed-term exclusions – where a child is suspended for a short period – at secondary schools in St George’s, Islington, and four permanent exclusions.
This figure represents an increase of more than a third since 2009-10, when there were 161 temporary exclusions and six permanent exclusions at Holloway School and special needs school, The Bridge.
In 2008-9 there were 177 fixed-term exclusions and nine permanent.
The figures were obtained after sending a Freedom of Information request to Islington Council.
Other reasons for exclusions include bullying, damage to property, threatening behaviour, theft and persistent disruption.
Over the last three years 23 children have been temporarily excluded from Tufnell Park Primary school, including 12 in 2008-9. Six children have been booted out this school year, including two for cases of physical assault on fellow pupils.
