Pupils arrive at school (Jane Barlow/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)A scheme has been launched to reduce knife crime by preventing some of the 900 school exclusions a year across London.
Figures shows nine out of ten youths entering custody had been removed from mainstream education at some point.
A separate Ofsted report also found children excluded from school are twice as likely to carry a blade.
London’s Violence Reduction Unit’s (VRU) £2million programme will target seven boroughs with the highest rates of suspensions and persistent absenteeism.
The project will also focus on sexual harassment and domestic violence abuse because it is known children who grow up witnessing abuse are at greater risk of mental health issues, violent behaviour and poor attainment.
Around 900 London primary and secondary pupils were excluded and 29,213 suspended in 2018/9, according to the most recent government data.
Waltham Forest, Hounslow, Lambeth, Bexley, Sutton, Greenwich and Lewisham have the highest rate of suspensions, latest Department for Education stats reveal.
Analysis by London’s Child Poverty Network shows children from a background that is either poor, black Caribbean, Gypsy, Roma or Traveller are more likely to be excluded than their peers.
The deaths of Ionut Elvis Tacu, 16, and Zaian Aimable-Lina, 15, on December 30 set a grim milestone of 30 teenagers violently killed in London during 2021, passing the previous peak of 29 in 2008.
Lib Peck, director of London’s VRU, described the “raw grief” suffered by bereaved families as “simply heartbreaking”.
She called for a “catalyst for change” to stop youngsters picking up a knife or weapon in the first place.
In Glasgow, an 81 per cent fall in exclusions coincided with a 48 per cent reduction in violence across the city.
Ms Peck said: “I’ve seen the impact violence has. It leaves lives destroyed, tears communities apart and deprives our city of so much young talent.
“It is crucial that we support schools to be safe and nurturing places where pupils’ needs – both educational and personal - can be identified early.
“Our programmes are centred on the importance of healthy relationships and skilled practitioners deliver domestic abuse education and training for pupils, teachers and staff. All are known risk factors for exclusion.”
Ms Peck denied some schools had taken the “easy option” of getting troubled pupils off their books to improve their reputation.
She said: “I wouldn’t want to be a teacher – it’s an incredibly tough job that got tougher over Covid. We’ve got fantastic, hardworking teachers.
“I think we really need to be doing everything we can to keep kids in school. Even the word ‘excluded’ suggests the child is being shut out and that certainly should not be the case.”
