Schools suspend hundreds every day

12 April 2012

More than 340 children are suspended for violence against other pupils every school day in England, figures from the Conservatives showed.

Official data showed 65,390 pupils were temporarily excluded for violence against their classmates in 2006/07, the party said. The figure is up 2,720 on the previous year, and equates to 344 suspensions per school day.

The Tories argued the figures demonstrated further evidence of the lack of discipline in schools.

They have also highlighted large increases in suspensions in certain areas.

In the London borough of Southwark, the number of exclusions for violence rose from 166 to 348 last year - up 110%. Hartlepool saw the number rise 53%, while they were up 50% in Middlesbrough.

Exclusions were up more than 10% in London as a whole, with inner London the UK region showing the biggest increase, up 20% to 3,430.

Across England overall, the increase was 4.3% between 2005/06 and 2006/07.

The Government defended the figures, saying teachers were using "short, sharp shocks" to control pupils.

But shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said: "This is further evidence of the lack of discipline in our schools.

"It is vital that teachers are given control over the classroom so they can deal with bad behaviour before it escalates into violence."

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