Rise in pupils expelled for assaulting adults

The number of pupils expelled for physically assaulting adults has risen by a fifth in the past year, statistics have shown.

According to government data from 2015-16, 730 pupils were permanently excluded during this period. This is up from 620 in 2014-15.

The data also reveals that there was 23,440 temporary exclusion for assaulting adults in 2015-16 - a 13 per cent rise compared with the previous year.

There has been a nine per cent increase in the number of pupils removed from school for being verbally abusive to adults, up from 550 in 2014-15 to 600 last year.

Schools permanently excluded 475 pupils aged seven and below last year, which is a rise of 19 per cent from the previous year.

Not only this, but the number of infants excluded from school for any reason has increased by 20 per cent in the last year.

Around 10,300 pupils aged seven or below, which includes 1,385 aged under four, had one or more temporary exclusions in 2015-16.

Overall, just over 6,500 pupils in this age bracket were excluded from school during this period, which was 15 per cent more than in 2014-15.