Skip to main content

Schools: Crime

Volume 461: debated on Monday 11 June 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools recorded incidences of (i) theft, (ii) criminal damage and (iii) assault in each of the last 10 years; how many of these incidents were committed by (A) staff and (B) pupils; and how many of those incidents resulted in the removal of the perpetrator from the school in question. (140779)

The information requested is not collected centrally.

For the academic years 2003/04 and 2004/05 information is available on the reasons for pupil exclusions. These reasons include ‘theft', ‘damage' and ‘physical assault against an adult or pupil'.

The tables provide a breakdown of the number of pupils who have been excluded for a fixed period or permanently from maintained primary and secondary schools for theft, damage and physical assault against an adult or pupil.

Maintained primary and secondary schools1: Number and percentage of fixed period exclusions for theft, damage and physical assault against an adult or pupil2, 2003/04 and 2004/05, England

Maintained primary

Maintained secondary

2003/04

2004/05

2003/04

2004/05

Number

%2

Number

%2

Number

%2

Number

%2

Theft

400

1.0

400

0.9

6,550

2.3

7,020

2.1

Damage

830

2.0

990

2.3

9,200

3.2

10,220

3.1

Physical assault against an adult

5,190

12.6

5,960

13.6

8,110

2.8

9,490

2.9

Physical assault against a pupil

10,890

26.4

11,950

27.3

55,440

19.2

65,790

20.0

1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 Number of fixed period exclusions by reason expressed as a percentage of the total number of fixed period exclusions. Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: Termly Exclusions Survey.

Maintained primary and secondary schools1: Number and percentage of permanent exclusions for theft, damage and physical assault against an adult or pupil2, 2003/04 and 2004/05, England

Maintained primary

Maintained secondary

2003/04

2004/05

2003/04

2004/05

Number

%3

Number

%3

Number

%3

Number

%3

Theft

4

4

4

4

210

2.5

220

2.8

Damage

30

2.1

10

9.3

270

3.3

200

2.5

Physical assault against an adult

290

22.9

290

26.3

820

9.9

900

11.1

Physical assault against a pupil

290

22.7

250

22.6

1,380

16.6

1,500

18.6

1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 The distribution of exclusions by reason has been derived from the Termly Exclusions Survey data and applied to the number of permanent exclusions as confirmed by local authorities as part of the School Census checking exercise. 3 Number of permanent exclusions by reason expressed as a percentage of the total number of permanent exclusions. 4 Less than 5 or a rate based on less than 5. Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census and Termly Exclusions Survey.