Schools excluding pupils to protect their ranking in league tables

I attended a well known school that was acclaimed for its consistant high standing in academic league tables. It boasted impressive figures that proclaimed (according to my memory, faded now with age) `95% of pupils achieve an A, B or C at GCSE` - along with concomitant claims for A-level results`. Who wouldn`t be impressed by these results? What parent wouldn`t want to send their child to this school? Such exemplary grades could only be the result of some supreme teaching method. I recall hearing that the ratio of applicants to places exceeded ten to one. I was indeed lucky to attend such a prestigious place of learning, that could guarantee me such high grades.

The way the school actually achieved such impressive grades was somewhat disheartening. It wasn`t so much down to exemplary teaching, or the creation of a nurturing learning environment, but something more basic and effective: if you weren`t expected to get a high enough grade, you were simply booted off the course. At both A-level and GCSE pupils were of course issued predicted grades - for those unlikely to achieve grades that would compliment the school`s standing in the league tables, they were ushered onto another course, or even granted more time to focus on their remaining subjects, with one less exam to concern themselves with.

There are actually many schools that employ these practices, but that could soon be set to change. The Education Secretary Damon Hinds has said he will be penalising schools that exclude pupils with the aim to improve league tables. At the moment his proposal is only to be concerned with exclusions due to unruly behaviour, but it is hoped that this will shine a light on the practice of removing pupils from courses in order to favour the school`s league table placement.

There has been a huge increase in the number of pupils being permanently excluded in recent years, and there are concerns that a significant portion are being removed mainly to protect the school`s league table results.

The number of permanent exclusions fell by nearly half between 2006-7 and 2012-13. In the last 5 years however it has risen by a precipitous 40%. A recent Home Office report has highlighted the fact that teenagers who are expelled from school are far more likely to enter a life of crime. Hardly a surprising announcement: if a pupil has nowhere do go during the day, and is unbounded by the civilising constraints of teachers and parents, they are certainly in danger of straying into more unsavoury territories.

The Education secretary said he could understand that individual pupils can have a hugely disruptive impact on the rest of the class, and can capitalise upon a teacher`s time, preventing them getting through their lesson schedule. He went on to say however that expelling a child should `only ever be a last resort`.

`But being excluded should never be at the cost of a child`s education. No matter the obstacles they may face or the backgrounds they`re from, we want our young people to receive an education that fosters ambition and a confidence in their abilities.`

A school should never compromise on its core mandate: to educate every pupil in attendance. To exclude a pupil because they are being disruptive is just passing the problem onto someone else - but to exclude a pupil because they may negatively affect the league table results is a deplorable abnegation of a school`s responsibilities.