Mayesbrook head informs exclusion debate
Mayesbrook head teacher Cathy Stygal featured in a BBC news story on a new £2 million fund pledged by London Mayor Sadiq Khan to drastically reduce the rate at which disruptive pupils are excluded. Funded by the Mayor’s London’s Violence Reduction Unit, a share of the £2 million will be available across seven boroughs and, for the first time, to primary schools.
According to Lib Peck, director of the Violence Reduction Unit, the initiative isn't about blaming teachers. ‘It’s really saying we know they need more support to address problems’ that often begin in the period between primary and secondary school. She admitted that permanent exclusions would still happen, but the aim should be to change bad behaviour.
Cathy Stygal commented that the pressure on teachers to deliver good results for all their students was ‘incredible’. This meant that often they saw no ‘alternative’ other than to exclude disruptive pupils, she explained. ‘But if they look back at what is the basis for that poor or disruptive behaviour it’s often that the child is not able to engage in the learning for some reason.’
The capital took inspiration for the scheme from Glasgow City Council, which has reduced school exclusions by almost 90% over a decade, during which time youth crime was cut by half.
For details, visit BBC News.