Head teachers would have to accept a pupil who has been expelled from another school if instructed by education chiefs, under proposed new laws.

The provision is included in the draft Education Bill that is currently out for consultation.

It specifies, as did the 2001 Education Act, that only the Department of Education can exclude a pupil from a school.

But the new legislation currently has an extra provision that each school’s rules ’must allow the department to require the school to accept a pupil who has been excluded by the department from another school’.

There was no such specification in the 2001 Act.

Most of the other provisions concerning exclusions and suspensions are the same as the previous act, including an appeal process for each punishment - in the case of an exclusion that means going to a magistrates’ court.

Separate from the draft bill, a new policy on school suspensions is due to be revealed soon.

Figures for suspensions in schools have fluctuated dramatically in recent years, due to various changes in policy.

Education Minister Graham Cregeen said: ’The department became aware of a significant rise in suspensions from secondary schools following requests from secondary school leaders and political members with regard to the existing policy and processes surrounding pupils on the periphery of mainstream education.

’The department analysed suspensions data between the years 2013 and 2017 and found that suspensions from secondary schools had increased by 80% during the period, from approximately 650 to over 1,100 suspension days per year.’

Suspension

This increase led to a review, which included analysing reasons for suspension, suspensions of pupils with additional needs, length of suspension and the differences in practice between primary and secondary schools.

Over the same five-year period, suspensions from primary schools were ’negligible’.

Mr Cregeen was responding in a written answer to a House of Keys question from Daphne Caine (Garff).

She was seeking a breakdown of the number of suspensions and exclusions in all the island’s schools.

The Minister added: ’Since the instigation of the review at the beginning of 2018, there has been a 16% reduction in suspensions from secondary schools, following five consecutive years of increases.

’This reduction is continuing this academic year 2018-19.

’Comparing the number of suspensions in half-term one (2017-18) with half-term two (2018-19) has shown a 33% reduction in numbers of suspensions issued by secondary schools.’

He said he expected the outcome of the review and its recommendations to target further reductions in the rate.

Twenty-one primary schools have had no suspensions or exclusions at all in the past five years.

Consultation

In terms of school years, in 2013-14, there were a total of 369 suspensions or exclusions; 2014-15, 429; 2015-16, 463; 2016-17, 619; 2017-18, 573.

The wide-ranging Education Bill is pencilled in for an introduction to the House of Keys in April, following the current consultation taking place.