(UK) More Wirral students with autism excluded; 4,500 across England in 2015/2016

July 11, 2018,Wirral Globe: Schools in Wirral are excluding more children with autism http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/16347475.schools-in-wirral-are-excluding-more-children-with-autism/ The number of autistic children being excluded from schools in Wirral has shot up, amid warnings that vulnerable students are being "failed" by the education system across England. Data from the Department for Education has revealed that 33 children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder as their primary special educational need were excluded from primary, secondary and special schools in Wirral in the 2015/2016 academic year - the last year for which data is available - up from 20 in 2011/2012. Of the children excluded in 2015/16, one was permanently excluded while 32 were given one or more temporary suspensions, known as fixed-period exclusions. The figures - which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted by the charity Ambitious About Autism for every local authority in England - showed there was a disparity between the rate of exclusions for autistic children and for the overall school population…. According to Ambitious About Autism, the fact that the rise in exclusions for SEN pupils overall was not as high as that for autistic children specifically shows children are being excluded simply "because they are children with autism"…. Across England, the number of autistic children being excluded increased by almost 60%, rising from 2,825 in 2011/12 to 4,490 in 2015/16, while the number being permanently excluded more than doubled. Every region saw an increase of at least 45% , while more than a third of local authorities saw a rise in the number of children with autism being excluded despite a drop in overall exclusions…. Ambitious About Autism has also warned that many more instances are likely to go unrecorded, with schools known to sometimes informally exclude autistic pupils by sending them home to "cool off", despite it being unlawful.