Rising primary school exclusions deeply concerning, says Labour

Labour has accused ministers of failing vulnerable youngsters following a sharp rise in the number of primary school children being taught in pupil referral units (PRUs).

According to an analysis of Department for Education (DfE) figures by the party, the number of five to 10-year-olds in PRUs – where children excluded from mainstream education are taught – has more than doubled in just seven years.

They rose from 715 in 2011 to 1,572 in 2018, the party said, while the numbers placed in local authority alternative provision were up from 2,475 to 3,714 over the same period.

The analysis also found that last year there were 42 under-fives in PRUs – of whom 28 were aged two or younger.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said the figures should be a cause for serious concern.

“It is deeply concerning to see such a vast increase in the number of very young children being taught in pupil referral units,” she said.

“For too long, the Tories have sat by idly as some of the most vulnerable young people in our country are falling between the gaps and even out of education altogether.”

The release coincides with the launch of a fresh series of Government initiatives to tackle youth violence at a Downing Street summit hosted by Theresa May.

Last month, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and eight Police and Crime Commissioners wrote to the Prime Minister to warn that the “broken” system of support for troubled and excluded youngsters lay behind the recent rise in knife crime.

They said excluded children were “sucked into criminality” and were “at much greater risk of becoming either perpetrators or victims of serious youth violence”.

A DfE spokesman said: “No matter the obstacles they may face or the backgrounds they’re from, we want our young people to receive an education that fosters ambition and a confidence in their abilities.

“Pupil referral units exist to work with young people with more complex problems. The classes are often smaller, with more specialist teaching, and can offer the support and mentoring that vulnerable children need.”