Praise for action to combat unruly pupils

Permanent exclusions more than halved
WORK to tackle bad behaviour and cut absence in Oldham’s secondary schools has been praised by a Government adviser.

The behaviour and attendance partnership aims to tackle problems early to prevent exclusion and absence, and help pupils return to mainstream education after a period of difficulty.

It is made is up of representatives from schools, the police, Positive Steps Oldham, Oldham College, NHS Oldham and the council’s Children’s Services.

Secondary school attendance in the borough has risen from 92.3 per cent in 2008-9 to 93 per cent in 2010-11 while persistent absence has fallen from 5.5 per cent to 3.4 per cent.

The number of pupils permanently excluded has more than halved from 86 to 40 and the number days missed by pupils on fixed-term exclusions has dropped from 4,015 to 2,951.

Charlie Taylor, the Government’s expert adviser on behaviour, said: “This is an excellent example of collaboration between schools, the local authority and other agencies to provide a responsive service to some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and families.”

Oldham Council’s children’s services has been nominated for an award for by the Local Government Chronicle.

Councillor Hugh McDonald, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “The behaviour and attendance partnership is the ideal example of what we aim to provide with all services for children.

“Not only are we changing young people’s lives for the better, by helping them see a much brighter future, but we’re being resourceful and saving money at the same time.”