Fury over ‘stupid’ exclusions as Medway tops the table for highest number of students expelled in the country
Medway is one of the areas in the country with the highest number of pupils being excluded from school.
About six out of every 100 pupils were excluded permanently from schools in Medway last year. This makes it the 9th area in the country with the highest percentage of permanent exclusions.
According to government figures, in the school year of 2014-2015 there were a total of 2,920 fixed term exclusions in Medway. This is an increase by 20% from the previous year.
However, permanent exclusions have gone down by 50%, to a total of 60 pupils excluded from schools.
These numbers have sparked reactions from angry parents who say their children are being ‘picked on’ for ‘stupid reasons’.
Sally Ann Phillips, from Medway, said: “My son has been excluded a few times now for the most stupid reasons.
“There is a particular teacher that not only my son but a number of children have got issues with.
“There are a number of parents that have a problem with this teacher and it seems that if she doesn’t like someone then she punishes them for absolutely no reason and, in my book, I call that bullying.
“The school’s priorities should be about learning at the end of the day, not singling anybody out.
“My son is a bright boy also but the way he is treated at times reflects on his learning abilities.”
Another parent, Maxine Cansade, said: “My son feels the teachers just pick on him. He gets sent out of class for silly things.
“Don’t get me wrong, he is no angel but he gets sent out of class while other boys who do worse than him don’t.
“It’s a running joke with my mate as to what he has done this time.”
Councillors have not responded to several contact attempts to comment on these issues.
