THE number of pupils excluded from school for a day or more has dropped slightly but remains high and the number of permanent exclusions has more than doubled, latest figures obtained by the Chronicle reveal.
This is the fourth year running the Chronicle has published figures showing how many pupils have been subjected to fixed-term exclusions where pupils are sent home for a day or more due to their behaviour at each of Barnsley’s secondary schools.
The figure had increased each year up to last year, when 12.2 per cent of all Barnsley’s secondary pupils were excluded for at least one day.
This year that figure has fallen slightly to 10.7 per cent a drop of 1.5 per cent.
Of the borough’s ten secondary schools, six recorded a drop in the percentage of its pupils excluded during the school year which ended in July.
But the same two schools have topped the table in each of the last four years - both run by the Outwood Grange Academies Trust.
Outwood Academy Shafton excluded 257 pupils during the year that works out at 23.5 per cent of its entire 1,095 school population sent home at some point during the year. Between them, those pupils lost a total of 2,963.5 days of education, which is equivalent to more than eight years.
And Outwood Academy Carlton excluded 186 pupils 21.7 per cent of all its students. Those pupils lost 1,370 days of education in total.
Both schools’ figures are more than double the average rate of exclusion seen across Barnsley.
But the approach does seem to have worked.
Outwood Academies Trust was brought in a few years ago to turn around the two schools which were performing poorly in terms of GCSE results, and had widespread issues with behaviour, and in particular what it called low-level disruption in class.
The trust came with a strict behaviour policy, and since then both schools’ results have improved dramatically.
Meanwhile the number of pupils excluded permanently from school across Barnsley more than doubled over the last year, from 20 a year ago to 43 over the last year.
Only two schools avoided making permanent exclusions, with Shafton and Barnsley Academy joint top of the table with eight, and Horizon Barnsley’s biggest school close behind with seven.
Coun Tim Cheetham, Barnsley Council’s cabinet spokesman for education, said: “As a council, we do think levels of exclusions are high and we have discussed this with schools who are looking to how they can reduce numbers excluded.
“Ideally, no child would ever be excluded but we recognise there are times when it is an appropriate response. Our challenge to schools is to use exclusions appropriately and proportionately.
“The level of exclusions are not an indication of behaviour problems in our schools. On the contrary, our schools set a high bar in the standards of behaviour they expect, so that children can learn in a calm, ordered environment, and this contributes to higher standards and young people reaching their potential.
“Schools are currently trialling different approaches, which maintain high expectations for behaviour but also give children opportunities to make amends for misbehaviour.
“We welcome schools’ work on this and believe it will help reduce exclusions.
“We also ask parents to support schools when their children are given a reasonable sanction for misbehaviour.
“Some exclusions result from children refusing to comply with low-level sanctions such as a short detention, and parents can help by supporting schools’ high expectations for behaviour, and the use of reasonable sanctions to improve children’s behaviour at school.”
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THE trust responsible for two schools which each excluded more than one in five of all their pupils has spoken in defence of its strict behaviour policies.
Outwood Academy Shafton and Outwood Academy Carlton have consistently excluded more pupils than any other secondary school in Barnsley for the last four years. But the schools’ results speak for themselves - they were Barnsley’s worst-performing schools when Outwood Academies Trust came in but results have surged since.
A spokesman for Outwood Academies Trust said: “Shafton and Carlton joined Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) in 2015 and 2016 respectively as the two worst performing schools in Barnsley.
“As a trust, we only work with schools where we feel we can make a significant and sustained difference. In both academies, considerable improvements were needed, particularly on behaviour so that teachers can teach and students can learn.
“As behaviour has improved, we have seen the number of exclusions reduce dramatically.”
The spokesman said its latest figures were already showing a 75 per cent reduction at Shafton on last year’s figures for the same reporting period, and a 45 per cent reduction at Carlton.
“In their most recent inspection in January, Ofsted recognised the high standards of behaviour at Shafton since the academy joined OGAT, and with GCSE results having already improved considerably, parents are now voting with their feet with more families than ever before choosing both Shafton and Carlton as their first choice of school.
“As both schools continue on their school improvement journey, we are working hard to reduce exclusions further without compromising our high standards.
“Indeed, we have been invited to share with other Barnsley heads how we have done this.
“Our approach has included introducing a restorative approach, which has been highly effective.
“At all OGAT academies, we have an open-door policy and are happy to welcome anyone who would like a tour of the school with a senior member of staff so that they can see for themselves the calm, purposeful and focused atmosphere that we have established.”
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NOTE: Figures for Holy Trinity include data from reception to year 11. The school converted to academy status on May 1 2018 and no exclusion data from prior to this date is included. This data, supplied to the Chronicle by Barnsley Council following a freedom of information request, was received by the council direct from schools and may differ to the data later published by the Department for Education.
