HEAD TEACHERS have spoken out about the staggering increase in York's expulsion figures after it emerged the number of children excluded from our schools has rocketed for the second year running.

Yesterday, The Press exclusively revealed the number of permanent exclusions in the city had risen more than five-fold in two years. Since April 2005, there have been 59 expulsions - up from 26 in the previous 12 months and 11 the year before.

But head teachers do not believe the figures indicate pupil behaviour is getting worse and claim permanent exclusions are very much a last resort.

Kevin Deadman, the head of Canon Lee Secondary, said: "It's not the case at all that things are getting worse. I think it reflects the changes in strategy for dealing with situations in the city. It's now more likely to support students if a solution is reached through permanent exclusion."

Hugh Porter, at Joseph Rowntree Secondary, agreed He said: "We have had a small increase in the number of permanent exclusions, but the number of fixed term ones has declined. That has just been, in my experience, natural fluctuation. It just depends on the nature of the year-group you have got going through the school."

John Thompson, the head teacher at Lowfield Secondary, said: "I think last year I permanently excluded four pupils, as opposed to one or two in the previous years. This year so far I have permanently excluded two.

"Obviously, I take each case as it comes, so I could not comment on the city-wide figures. I would say that here we have got a slight increase in the number of pupils being permanently excluded, but still at a much lower rate than in the late 1990s."

Mr Thompson put Lowfield's recent increase in expulsions down to isolated offences committed outside school hours.

Chris Bridge, the head of Huntington Secondary School, stressed the need for pupils to take responsibility for their actions. He said: "There is a real need every now and then for doing permanents, and we have done them even when pressure from the Government was to use other means. We have stuck with the fact that pupils should be faced with the consequences of their own very bad behaviour."

He agreed with Mark Ellis, of York City Council's education department, that fewer pupils were out of school now than in the past.

Brian Crosby, the head teacher at Manor CE Secondary, said: "Manor School does its very best to avoid situations whereby young people will be permanently excluded. We go the extra mile and we certainly have very stringent behavioural learning policies to prevent young people getting to the stage where they need permanent exclusion.

"We work very hard, and that's why we have not had a permanent exclusion in the past five years."

Tony Wootton, the head of Millthorpe Secondary, said: "I do not think it's necessarily reflective of a worsening behaviour situation. I think it's increased readiness on heads to take that particular option."

Stephen Smith, at Fulford School, also put the increase in exclusions down to changing Government guidelines, but claimed deteriorating pupil behaviour was a major factor as well.

He said: "It's partly a reflection on society too. You have got increased use of antisocial behaviour orders in society and schools are a part of society."

Updated: 09:08 Tuesday, May 02, 2006