Wandsworth’s state schools expelled the highest proportion of their students in inner London last year.

In 2011-12, across the borough’s primary, secondary and special schools, 40 pupils were removed from schools according to figures from the Department of Education.

This equates to 0.13 per cent of the schools’ population.

Wandsworth’s total of 40 exclusions is also the highest number of all the 14 inner London boroughs – equalled only by Hackney and Lambeth.

Five were listed as for physical assault on an adult and a further 16 for other offences, while undisclosed figures, marked as a X were given for incidents relating to sexual misconduct, assault on a pupil, persistent misbehaviour, bullying, theft, verbal abuse or threatening language to an adult.

Across the capital there were 20 exclusions for “sexual misconduct”. Yet while the majority of inner London boroughs had no record of this, Wandsworth, along with Hammersmith & Fulham and Newham, were listed as X.

Seven pupils were also permanently excluded from Wandsworth’s special schools and, although many local authorities have an X in this category, this is the equal highest recorded figure in the whole of the country.

With 40 pupils excluded in total, including 30 from the secondary sector and seven from special schools, it also means three pupils, aged between five and 11, were removed from the borough’s primary schools.

A spokesman for Wandsworth Council confirmed schools are solely responsible for exclusions.

He said: “The council fully supports schools taking a firm stand against unacceptable behaviour, as it is incredibly disruptive and potentially harmful to pupils and teachers.

“All of the borough’s primary and secondary schools have been rated as either good or outstanding in terms of behaviour by Ofsted.”

Nationwide the figures reveal boys are three times more likely to be excluded, either temporarily or permanently, than girls.

In September 2012, the Government strengthened head teachers’ powers over exclusions by replacing the independent appeal panel with a review panel.

The independent appeal panel could overturn decisions to exclude – but the new review panel can only recommend that headteachers take a pupil back.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “The Government is tackling the causes of exclusion by improving the quality of teaching, raising standards in literacy and numeracy, tackling disadvantage through the pupil premium, overhauling the special educational needs system and making radical improvements to alternative provision.”

 

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