§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2001,Official Report, column 363W, what financial penalties are levied on schools for non-compliance with the Department's exclusion reduction target. [3105]
§ Mr. TimmsThe latest permanent exclusion figures for 1999–2000 indicate that exclusions have fallen to around 8,600, nearly a third less than the peak of 12,700 in 1996–97. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that the level of exclusions we have reached is sustainable and, therefore, she does not intend to set fresh exclusion targets for reducing permanent exclusions further. My right hon. Friend has also announced new measures to: change the law on exclusions to reflect the interests of the school community; consult on extending Parenting Orders and maximising support to schools in dealing with disruptive children and violent parents; produce a positive package of preventive action to promote good behaviour; make Admissions Forums, whose role will include the re-integration of excluded pupils, mandatory.
We have significantly increased the resources available to schools and local education authorities to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils, from £17 million in 1996–97 to £131 million in 2000–01 and again to £174 million this year—a tenfold increase. Before April 2000 most of this money was held centrally by local authorities to support authority-wide initiatives to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils. For the first time in April 2000 the majority of this funding was devolved directly to schools so that they could decide how best to tackle poor behaviour. Schools have, therefore, benefited by an additional £100 million in 2000–01 and £126 million this year. Where a child has to be excluded some of the money previously held by local authorities which is now in schools reverts back to the local authority. This money can be used by the authority to provide education outside school or to support a re-integration package at a new school. This procedure follows the principle introduced by the last Conservative Government of money following the excluded pupil. By September 2002 all permanently excluded pupils must be offered full-time education and not the 2–3 hours per week all too typical in the past.