EXCLUSION rates in Annandale and Eskdale schools increased between April and September 2022.
The councillors for Annandale and Eskdale reviewed and discussed the data with education officers at the area committee meeting last Wednesday.
The statistics stated as part of the six-month assessment of Education and Learning Business Plan Performance showed that between April 1 and September 30 2022 the percentage of pupils being excluded from schools locally increased from 6.3 per cent per 1000 pupils to 9.89 per cent per 1000 pupils, The increase is above the council’s target of 7.95 per cent per 1000 pupils and was the only target not met in the assessment.
In response to councillors’ concerns about the increase in exclusions, education officer Karen-Anne Bryden said: “The purpose of an exclusion of a pupil is to allow the partners who are supporting that young person the opportunity to revisit or create a plan in order for that young person to return fully into school life supported in the best way they can.
“We have noticed that there have been some increases but again schools are doing all that they can to support young people to be fully engaged in schools.
“In relation to exclusions for our looked after pupils, they are pretty much the same and just beyond this reporting period at the beginning of September a new policy has been introduced that any exclusion of a looked after pupil has to have central team approval, so in other words they needs to come into the central team, explain the situation and a conversation will take place.”
