Emma Reynolds: More support needed to curb allure of street gangs
An MP has called for more support to be put in place to stop children excluded from school from being lured into criminal gangs.
Emma Reynolds has welcomed the Timpson review, which recommended that schools should only exclude pupils as a last resort.
But the Wolverhampton North East Labour MP highlighted fears in the report that expelled youngsters were often preyed on by criminal gangs, warning: "We cannot let an exclusion spiral into a life of crime."
The 14-month review came as exclusions in schools in the UK hit a 10-year high, with more than three quarters of expelled pupils having special needs or being eligible for free school meals.
It outlined a number of recommendations, including measures to make schools accountable for the progress of youngsters they kick out, and limits on fixed-term exclusions.
Ms Reynolds said: “The Timpson report makes some welcome recommendations that schools should only exclude pupils as a last resort.
"Exclusions at UK schools are now the highest in 10 years and, while the vast majority of schools did not expel a single pupil in 2016/17, some expelled more than 10 pupils.
"The report recognises that pupils who are expelled and referred to Pupil Referral Units are often preyed on by criminal gangs. Wolverhampton and the West Midlands face a knife crime epidemic and, with the rise of county lines drug networks, we cannot let an exclusion spiral into a life of crime.
“Schools should be discouraged from excluding children. But when used as a last resort, support must be there to ensure they do not become even more vulnerable and fall into the hands of criminals. Our priority must be to protect vulnerable children.”
The review, authored by former Conservative children's minister Edward Timpson, called for a more consistent approach to exclusions to "make sure no child slips through the net".
His report warned of a "worse trajectory" for excluded pupils, including an increased chance of becoming a young offender or being out of work.
The recent wave of knife attacks across the West Midlands has prompted West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson to link violent crime to school exclusions.
Education Secretary Damian Hinds said it was important "not to draw a simple causal link between exclusions and knife crime, as there is no clear evidence to back this up".
But he said that education could provide a "protective factor", which made it a priority to improve the quality of alternative provision.
