Growing numbers of pupils at risk exclusion and ‘falling off the radar’ as schools return to normal
Growing numbers of children are at risk of being excluded and “falling off the radar” as schools return to normal following the pandemic, experts fear.
Analysis of recent government data shows the problem was worsening before the pandemic but there was a lull while schools were closed because of the virus.
Department of Education figures show that in the autumn term before the first lockdown general exclusions were up 5% and primary school exclusions rose by 20%.
However, evidence suggests this could soon be replaced with a spike in exclusions as children return to school, with problems at home bottled up and likely to prompt bad behaviour.
It comes as the former children’s commissioner launches a new initiative to stop what she calls a “conveyor belt” of vulnerable children falling into the hands of gangs and criminals.
Anne Longfield told Sky News: “We know that COVID has dealt a real blow to those kids – the vulnerabilities that they’ve experienced at home; addiction, domestic violence, have increased and lot of them also aren’t connecting back into school so they are at risk of falling off the radar.”
Anne Longfield is launching a commission to help prevent children from becoming involved in county lines and gangs
Ms Longfield is today launching The Commission on Young Lives which aims to work with other youth groups to design a new national system to prevent children from becoming involved in county lines and gangs.
The commission warns that even before COVID hit in March 2020, almost 15,000 children had been referred to social services over gang fears in the previous 12 months – a rise of 4,000 on the previous year.
Those working with vulnerable children are seeing increasingly severe problems – more domestic abuse, greater food poverty, more children struggling with mental health problems, and a resurgence in knife crime that has led to more teenagers turning up at A&E with stab wounds.
Part of tackling the issue will be deciding how to stem the rise in school exclusions.
“Since lockdown ended there have been rises in exclusions in the local authorities we work with,” says Kiran Gill, founder of The Difference – a project that tries to prevent school exclusions through teacher training.
Ms Gill also cites increased instances of domestic violence and worsening mental health problems as aggravating factors.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Teachers lack bereavement training
She adds: “We need to reverse this trend because only 4% of excluded young people are likely to get a pass in GCSE English and maths and even by the age of 20 young people are unlikely to have the literacy and numeracy needed to access the labour force.
“Therefore it’s no surprise they are much more likely to be involved in the criminal justice system.”
The Difference runs what it calls a Leaders Programme which places teachers from mainstream schools into Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) for excluded children so they can learn how to better understand their problems and keep them in the system.
English teacher Daniel Cain-Reed who joined the programme is now teaching at a PRU run by Haringey’s Learning Partnership in North London.
English teacher Daniel Cain-Reed says the unit is much better placed to support students
He told Sky News: “I don’t think I ever felt my mainstream school [was] always best placed to offer those young people and their families the support that they needed, and that is something I have definitely learned.
“I feel a lot more knowledgeable, and when I go back I will help my mainstream colleagues to be more pre-emptive and spot the signs of perhaps trauma – to identify the risks that some people might experience and mitigate that so children can continue to be successful in mainstream schools.”
He added: “I think I have definitely noticed young people being excluded far more at a far younger age as well too, and when it happens at a younger age it’s a real challenge for staff to build that resilience back up.”
At the PRU in Harringay, we met year 10 student Miriam Khadir, 14, who was excluded from two secondary schools for “persistent disruptive behaviour”, although that phrase underplays the complexity of what happened.
In Miriam’s view, her teachers never explored the root causes of her problems.
14-year-old Miriam Khadir was excluded from two secondary schools
She said: “If you are you are happy to explain anything that’s wrong at home to your school it makes life easier.
“Let’s say something happens at home. You come into school, and you are upset, and if you can let all that anger and upset out (with a support worker/teacher before the lessons) then you are happy to go in to learn you’ve got a good mindset and you are ready to get some education.
“But if you come in, there’s no one to talk to you, there’s no support, you go into a lesson [and] you’re not ready to learn.
“You’re still upset from what’s going on at home. Therefore, the child’s not going to be ready to learn. Not every child needs a mentor but some do need help to express what’s going on at home.”
Computer science teacher Kalpana Jegendirabose is also on a two-year placement on The Difference programme with Haringey Learning Partnership.
Computer science teacher Kalpana Jegendirabose said PRU’s give teachers more time to speak to students
She says: “We have more opportunities [at the PRU] to have conversations with the children here and actually sit with them. Those things wouldn’t necessarily have happened in mainstream because the timetables are so strict – there isn’t any room for actually having those conversations.”
Miriam is now entering her first year preparing for GCSE’s and hopes to buck the trend of children failing after falling out of mainstream education. She’s now engaging more in lessons and has a love of history.
She responded to being excluded from school by raising £2,500 to open the first library in her pupil referral unit.
The opening this week was attended by local MP David Lammy and children’s author Michael Rosen.
It seems that Miriam’s exclusion was mainstream’s loss. How often is that the case?
One man has been arrested, and further suspects are being traced, after 21 people needed medical attention following a “pepper spray” incident at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Officers were called at 8.11am on Sunday to a multi-storey car park at Terminal 3 following reports of multiple people being assaulted, said the Metropolitan Police.
A statement from the force said: “Armed officers responded to the incident and arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of assault, within nine minutes of the report coming in.
“He remains in custody and enquiries remain ongoing to locate further suspects.”
What we know so far:
• Police say a group of four men “robbed a woman of her suitcase” in a car park lift
• They sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction
• People in the lift and the surrounding area were impacted
• Those directly involved are “known to each other”
• A total of 21 people were treated at the scene, including a three-year-old
• Passengers faced delays and difficulties accessing the airport
• Most of the disruption has now cleared
Fire engines responding to the incident at Heathrow Airport. Pic: @_umarjaved
Met Police Commander Peter Stevens said on Sunday afternoon that the force believes “a woman was robbed of her suitcase by a group of four men, who sprayed a substance believed to be pepper spray in her direction”.
“This occurred within a car park lift, with those in the lift and surrounding area affected by the spray,” he continued.
“Our officers are working to determine the full circumstances around what happened but we do believe this to be an isolated incident with those directly involved known to each other.”
London Ambulance Service attended the scene and treated 21 people, including a three-year-old girl. Five people were taken to hospital. Their injuries are not believed to be life-changing or life-threatening.
There was some disruption to traffic in the area and Terminal 3 remains open.
Eyewitness describes ‘absolutely terrifying’ ordeal
Witness Tom Bate told Sky’s Matt Barbet that he saw three “young men, dressed in black with their heads covered” suddenly bolt from the elevator area.
That’s when “people started coughing”, he said. “Suddenly… everyone in the room was coughing, including me, and there was a burning in my throat.
“It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
‘Significant incident’ at Heathrow Airport
Mr Bate was in the multi-storey car park at Terminal 3, having just landed from Dallas, Texas.
As he was leaving the car park, he saw “10-20 armed police officers” run in.
“The [police] did, in fact, point their gun at someone and order him to the ground and detain him,” he said. “And they got me out of the vehicle to ID the person.”
Mr Bate described the incident as “pretty intense” and “absolutely terrifying”.
‘Significant incident’
The London Ambulance Service said a “significant incident” was declared and there was a “full deployment” of resources. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said it was also called to the incident.
Heathrow advised passengers to allow extra time when travelling to the airport and to check with their airline for any queries.
Some passengers said they were forced to wait three hours for a shuttle bus to the long-stay car park after their flight. The service usually runs every 15 minutes.
Bottles of water were handed out by staff to people waiting for buses from Terminal 3.
There was disruption to train and Tube services, with some delays on the Elizabeth Line and the Piccadilly Line, but all lines are now operating normally.
A queue to exit the Elizabeth Line at Heathrow after the incident. Pic: PA
Traffic also piled up at the M4 junction for the airport but this has since cleared.
People on social media said vehicles were being searched at the airport.
A user on X said there was a “major backlog of cars unable to leave the vicinity or enter the drop-off zone” at Terminal 3.
In footage on X, several armed police were seen in a car park.
Lando Norris won his maiden Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship on Sunday after coming third in the deciding showdown in Abu Dhabi.
The accolade wraps up a clean sweep for his McLaren team, after they claimed the Constructors’ Championship in Singapore in October.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the final race of the season from pole position, but Norris coming in third meant the Dutchman was unable to overcome Norris’s season points total of 423 – with Verstappen just two points short.
Norris’s title victory also ends Verstappen’s four-year reign at the top of Formula 1. The Dutchman was hoping to retain his crown and win a record-equalling fifth-straight Drivers’ Championship, which would have seen him draw level with F1 legend Michael Schumacher.
McLaren driver Lando Norris celebrates winning the Formula One world championship after finishing third at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Pic: PA
Norris’s teammate and title rival, Oscar Piastri, finished in second place in the race but third in the overall standings finishing on 410 points.
The 26-year-old Norris is the 11th British driver to win the championship and first since Sir Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
“Thank you guys, oh my God. You have made my dreams come true, thank you so much. I love you guys. Thanks for everything, you deserve it. I love you mum, I love you dad. Thanks for everything. I’m not crying!” he said on the team radio as he crossed the line.
His victory marks a remarkable comeback to secure the title, after falling 34 points behind Piastri following the Dutch Grand Prix in August, when he suffered a late mechanical problem in his car while running second to his Australian teammate.
Lando Norris reacts after becoming a world champion after the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. Pic: AP
But in the nine grand prix that followed, this was only the second time he was beaten by Piastri in a race.
That sequence saw him secure dominant wins in Mexico and Brazil, putting him in pole position for the maiden title.
“I’ve not cried in a while! I didn’t think I would cry but I did!” Norris to Sky Sports in his post-race interview.
“It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, everyone at McLaren, my parents – my mum, my dad – they are the ones who have supported me since the beginning.
McLaren driver Lando Norris during the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Pic: AP
“It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit! I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors the whole season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them. It’s been an honour, I’ve learned a lot from both.
“I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a long year. We did it and I’m so proud for everyone.”
After conducting celebratory ‘donuts’ on the start-finish straight after completing his slow-down lap, Norris was embraced by his parents, Cisca and Adam, after getting out of the car along with his girlfriend, Margarida Corceiro.
Norris received congratulations from across the globe after his win, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
In a post on X, Sir Keir said: “Congratulations @LandoNorris, Britain’s new @F1 champion! An unbelievable season and so well deserved.”
Lottie (right) and her friends watch along at Silverstone
Norris’s fans celebrate in Silverstone
It was clear who fans at this watch party wanted to see win, and they got their wish.
There were cheers, tears and hugs of celebration as Lando Norris became the first Brit to win the World Championship in five years.
“Great race, great result,” says Jamie, who attended the watch party with his girlfriend Lottie. “We cheered every time he came on screen.”
Lottie has seen Norris race at Silverstone before, but today was even more special.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” says Lottie. “It was such an amazing experience.”
She admits, though, that for much of the afternoon she “felt sick,” nervous about how the race would pan out.
Norris only needed to be in the top three to win, but was amongst stiff competition with Max Verstappen and team mate Oscar Piastri hot on his heels.
There were groans in the crowd each time Norris slipped behind, and raucous cheers each time he closed the gap.
But it was the reaction from the Jenner family that caught my attention, crying and embracing each other when it became clear Norris had brought it home.
“The fact he has managed to get here is just everything. It’s amazing,” said Mrs Jenner.
“Pure joy that he had done it, we all love F1 as a family, it just means everything.”
But not everyone was happy. Abhi was among the few who came to support another driver.
“Go Max every time,” he says, admitting that he is “a bit gutted” by the results. “It stings a bit, but that’s the nature of the race.”
When asked what it was like to be one of the only people not there to witness Norris take the win, he says, “I felt a bit intimidated to be honest, and a bit stressed as well, but I held my own.”
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah says he has been “thrown under the bus” by the club, and his relationship with manager Arne Slot has broken down.
The 33-year-old player also suggested that next Saturday’s match against Brighton could be his last for the Reds, who are the reigning Premier League champions.
Speaking after Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds, the Egypt forward told journalists he was in disbelief he had been left on the bench for the third game running.
Salah takes a selfie with fans in April. Pic: Reuters
“I have done so much for this club down the years and especially last season,” said Salah, who signed a new deal at Anfield at the end of last season. “Now I’m sitting on the bench, and I don’t know why.
“It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far, I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise.
“I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden, we don’t have any relationship. I don’t know why, but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”
He joined the club in June 2017, and has been one of the Premier League’s best players.
Asked if his relationship with Slot had broken down, he said: “Yeah, there’s no relationship between us. It was a very good relationship and now all of a sudden there is no relationship.”
Salah will play at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) for Egypt on 15 December and has been linked with a January move to the Saudi Pro League.
On Tuesday, Liverpool face Inter Milan away in the Champions League.
Speaking about the Brighton match at Anfield next Saturday, he admitted: “I said to [my family], come to the Brighton game. I don’t know if I am going to play or not, but I am going to enjoy it. In my head, I’m going to enjoy that game because I don’t know what is going to happen now.
“I will be in Anfield to say goodbye to the fans and go the Africa cup. I don’t know what is going to happen when I am there.”
Asked if it could be his final game for Liverpool, Salah said: “In football you never know. I don’t accept this situation. I have done so much for this club.”
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment3 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024