Criminal gangs preying on excluded children, warns Sheffield MP

Criminal gangs are preying on children who have been excluded from school, a Sheffield MP has warned.
Sheffield Heeley MP Louise HaighSheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh
Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh

Sheffield Heeley MP Louise Haigh said police have told how gangs in parts of the country are deliberately targeting pupil referral units - which cater for children who have been excluded from school - to recruit vulnerable youths.

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Sheffield has one of the highest rates in England for secondary school exclusion...

Ms Haigh, who is shadow minister for policing, said this 'alarming' revelation showed more must be done to prevent young people 'falling through the cracks'.

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Sheffield has one of the country's highest rates of pupils being expelled or suspended and she believes greater efforts are needed to keep the city's children in school or deliver alternative provision.

"We have extremely high rates of exclusion in Sheffield so hearing from police that gangs are targeting pupil referral units and excluded children is really alarming," she said.

"Sheffield's exclusion rates are far too high, with nearly one in four pupils having been excluded at some schools.

"I want to see schools take more action to keep children in mainstream education.

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"We also need more alternative provision, because the city has just one pupil referral unit, which is massively oversubscribed.

"Too many children are falling through the cracks, making them incredibly vulnerable to exploitation by organised criminal gangs."

Ms Haigh said 89 per cent of children in custody have been excluded from school, and the rise in serious violence 'cannot be decoupled' from the rise in exclusions.

She has sympathy for schools, which she said are 'horribly underfunded' and are 'incentivised' to exclude children due to the premium Ofsted places on exam results.

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She believes children who are excluded should be given more support to help them back into mainstream education.

She also told how a 'huge lack' of special educational needs (SEN) provision means too many children are being placed in mainstream schools which are unsuitable for them.

And she said better mental health support is required in schools, every school should have a named police officer working with staff and students, and more investment in youth services is 'urgently needed'.

Councillor Jayne Dunn, cabinet member for education and skills at Sheffield Council, said: "School exclusions have been rising nationally in recent years and whilst Sheffield follows this trend, exclusion rates are higher than average here.

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"This is not acceptable and is a matter I’m personally committed to tackling. I take this issue very seriously and we are working hard with our schools and other agencies to reduce the number of exclusions and support our most vulnerable young people towards a positive, independent life.

"It's important that we work collaboratively across the city and we’ve developed a number of strategies to support Sheffield children who are at risk of exclusion. I believe a city-wide plan to reduce exclusions will make a significant difference.

"Schools can access a range of specialist support which we will be monitoring to help us understand what really works, with the aim of keeping all children in school, attaining the education they deserve."