Education officers are preparing a wide-ranging action package to cut the number of youngsters expelled from the district's schools.

The plan will mainly target Bradford's first schools where the number of children expelled rose from just one in 1993-94 to 13 in 1996-97. However, the figure dropped to 11 last year, councillors were told last night.

The schools sub-committee was told that aggression against other pupils was the main reason for children of all age groups being thrown out. The total number of pupils expelled fell from 185 in 1996-97 to 159 last year, however.

Councillor Suzanne Rooney (Lab, Eccleshill) said the main reason for that was the efforts by schools who should be congratulated on the measures they had taken.

The annual report showed one girl was expelled compared with six or seven boys, and there were fewer ethnic minority children thrown out of schools than white pupils.

But for the first time a nursery-age child was expelled, according to the report produced by education officer Mick O'Brien. No details were available of the incident.

During 1996-97 Belle Vue Boys was top of the expulsion league, with 14 pupils thrown out. At Rhodesway, 13 youngsters were forced to leave and joint third in the league were Tong and Grange Upper, each throwing out 11 pupils.

The report showed that fewer pupils were reintegrated into schools after problems than the number which were expelled.

But Mr O'Brien said a scheme offering financial incentives for schools to admit pupils excluded by others was being considered in Parliament.

Mr O'Brien said the package being looked at would focus on early intervention over problems and would mainly target primary schools to stop the mushrooming of problems which could affect children as they got into secondary schools.

Co-opted member Elaine Byrom said although there was a drop in the past year in expulsions from first schools, it did not mean to say it would not rise again. She said aggressive behaviour should be controlled at an early age.

Councillor David Ward (Lib-Dem, Idle) congratulated Eccleshill School on having no expulsions. He said: "Some schools are trigger-happy and it is unfair on schools which are not trigger-happy and are left to deal with the problems."

Of the children expelled last year, 67 were thrown out for aggression to other pupils, 33 for aggression towards staff and ten for damaging property. Six cases involved sex and 53 expelled pupils had behavioural problems.

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