(UK) East of England: Over 2,000 students excluded; 'disproportionate number...have special needs'

Dec 4, 2018, Eastern Daily Press: ‘Alarming’ number of year 10 children taken off school rolls in Norfolk and Suffolk https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/education/ofsted-annual-review-norfolk-and-suffolk-schools-paul-brooker-1-5804633 More than 2,000 year 10 pupils “disappeared” from their school registers in the East of England over a 12-month period. Figures compiled by Ofsted show that between January 2016 and January 2017 some 2,100 pupils “did not progress” from year 10 to year 11 – meaning they were taken off the roll at their school at a crucial point in their education. … Paul Brooker, Ofsted’s regional director for the East of England, said some of pupils may have fallen victim to efforts by their school to remove them for reasons that were not in the pupil’s best interests, for example to prevent “damage” to the school’s performance figures – a practice known as off-rolling. “It is quite an alarming figure especially since we know that a disproportionate number of them have special needs or come from a disadvantaged background, so that shows that the best provision is not being made for some of our most vulnerable pupils,” he said. … In terms of pupils exclusions, Norfolk is behind its regional neighbours. In total there were 4,191 fixed period exclusions in the year (around nine per 100 pupils), with 4.4pc of the county’s pupils receiving at least one exclusion in the period. In Suffolk the rate was between six and seven exclusions per 100 pupils. … He said exclusions, along with special educational needs and disabilities provision in schools, would be a “real focus” for Ofsted going forward. Inspections of local authority services for children with special educational needs and disabilities, introduced by Ofsted in 2016, have raised concerns about the provision offered by some authorities. Two of the five inspected so far in the East of England - including Suffolk – required to produce a “written statement of action” for improvement. Mr Brooker said: “If pupils are being excluded and happen to have special educational needs or disabilities that is worrying as it may suggest that the school is not meeting their needs. It is something we need to look at very closely.” …