DEMOS proposals on exclusion ‘not realistic’ says the NAUSWT
Commenting on the DEMOS Report, which calls for school exclusions to be scrapped, Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said:
“This Report and its recommendations take a rather simplistic view of a complex problem.
“It is premised on a belief that children and young people are lost to the system when they are excluded. There is no evidence for this. If it does occur, then the local authority would not be fulfilling its legal duty to provide full time education.
“DEMOS talks about the high cost of exclusion but their proposals have not been costed and effectively amount to signing a blank cheque on this issue.
“Identifying pupils at an early stage, who may be at risk of exclusion, sounds good in theory but in practice is fraught with difficulties. The DEMOS proposal amounts to throwing money pupils just in case. This is not a realistic proposition.
“The evidence on the link between SEN and exclusion is not new. The problem is not the exclusion. It is about the need to ensure that in every locality there is a range of provision, including specialist provision, which can support the diverse needs of young people when they cannot be met in a mainstream school.
“Schools use exclusion as a last resort. Teachers do a magnificent job in maintaining high standards of pupil behaviour. All teachers welcome the opportunity to access professional development to enhance their skills in behaviour management.
“The NASUWT has already issued the results of a five year longitudinal study into the training needs of new and recently qualified staff. This highlights the need to ensure that there is much more focus on behaviour management during initial teacher training.
“The strategies DEMOS recommends such as nurture groups, learning mentors and counselling can already be found in schools across the country.
“Nothing in the Report warrants a conclusion that permanent exclusion should be abolished.”
ENDS
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