Hackney schools expel EIGHT children 11 and under

Eight primary school children were thrown out of Hackney schools last year, a new league table of shame has revealed.

Most were thrown out for persistent disruptive behaviour, according to figures released on Thursday by the Department for Education (DfE) – but Hackney Council said it would be “inappropriate” to reveal why exactly children aged 11 and younger were permanently excluded.

The figure was the highest recorded by any other London borough, many of which recorded no permanent exclusions at primary schools.

The report also showed that more Hackney pupils were suspended than anywhere else in central London during the 2014/2015 academic year.

A total of 1,720 fixed-term exclusions were handed to Hackney pupils at primary and secondary schools last year, placing it in the bottom five for the whole capital.

A council spokeswoman said it had put in a place a “No Need to Exclude” strategy to slash the number of exclusions.

She said: “Whilst we acknowledge exclusion levels remain high in the borough, our vision is for all children and young people in Hackney to be purposefully engaged in an educational programme appropriate to their needs and age.”