SEN children ten times more likely to be excluded

Nearly one in twenty children with special educational needs
were excluded from school in 2002/3 – nearly ten times the
rate for pupils without special educational needs.

DfES statistics show that school exclusions fell  by three per
cent –  the first fall in three years. 82 per cent of excluded
pupils were boys, and 83 per cent were secondary school pupils.

Traveller children of Irish descent experienced the highest rate
of exclusions of any ethnic group, with 51 exclusions for every
10,000 children. The lowest exclusion rates were among Chinese
pupils (2 in every 10,000) and Indians (3 in every 10,000).

Education minister Ivan Lewis commented, “We are getting
the balance right, helping teachers to improve behaviour in the
classroom and backing their authority when pupils’ behaviour
warrants exclusion.

“But more than anything, today’s figures are a
tribute to the professionalism of teachers and all those in the
frontline who are working to ensure our classrooms are free from
disruption.”

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000465/index.shtml