North Yorkshire council chiefs are drawing up plans to deal with the increasing number of primary school pupils permanently excluded from school.
Just three primary-age children were excluded from the county’s schools in 2020/21, with five removed in 2021/22.
In 2023/24, the number had risen to 25, while a further 23 pupils were excluded in 2024/25.
North Yorkshire Council says the rise, which mirrors national trends, causes major challenges for the authority, which has a statutory duty to find an educational placement the excluded pupils.
The council says it is currently “heavily reliant” on special educational needs hubs providing provision, but officials say this is problematic as the extra numbers have diverted resources away from their preventative work in schools.
A report for senior councillors states:
“The increase in exclusions presents a significant challenge to the local authority in meeting its statutory duty to arrange provision from day six of a permanent exclusion.
“The existing offer was implemented when numbers were much smaller and was intended to be a short-term response to an emerging issue. The ongoing and increasing growth in exclusions now requires the council to implement a long-term and sustainable solution.
“Logistical issues associated with the current model have become increasingly difficult to manage with the growing demand, including access to
suitable education premises, transport, curriculum and meals.”
In the future, the authority is looking to use existing centres, which currently support secondary school pupils, for younger children.
The report adds:
“The model proposed, to arrange education via pupil referral units/alternative provision academies that currently support secondary-aged pupils, has been identified as it builds upon existing infrastructure within North Yorkshire and could provide an equitable and suitable offer for children across the county whilst meeting the council’s duty to arrange provision.”
The council estimates the proposed change will save the authority around £38,000 a year.
Senior councillors and officers will meet to discuss the planned new system on Tuesday next week.
Officers are recommending that a consultation with stakeholders takes place before the change is implemented.
There has been a similar rise in the number of primary school children being temporarily suspended in North Yorkshire, rising from 173 in 2020/21 to 413 in 2024/25.
Nationally, Department for Education data released earlier this year showed the number of suspensions in primary schools exceeded 100,000 for the first time on record, while 471 children aged six or younger were expelled.
A number of reasons for the rise have been suggested by experts, including children failing to acquire the necessary social skills due to the covid pandemic, and a rise in the number of children with complex needs and shortages of specialist staff to help these children cope with school life.
The number of North Yorkshire secondary school children being permanently excluded has also risen over the last four years — rising from 22 in 2020/21 to 100 last year.
The number of secondary school children suspended has gone from 1,309 in 2020/21 to 2,395 in 2024/25, although this number was 322 down on the previous year.
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