WARRINGTON has been identified as one of the worst performing local authorities for tackling bullying.
New figures show school exclusions for the behaviour have risen by 333 per cent, according to data released by The Department of Education.
Warrington Borough Council has put this increase down to better identification of bullying, as well as the impact of social media on pupils.
From the data released last week, Oxford Home Schooling has identified the best and worst performing regions between 2016/17 and 2017/18, with the average number of exclusions for bullying dropping by seven percent in the north west.
Despite this figure across the region, Warrington was identified as one of five areas across the UK seeing figures more than double in this time.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: "There were 13 school exclusions due to bullying in 2017/18, across all primary, secondary and special schools.
"We work in partnership with schools - and with all 30,000 of our pupils – on a range of measures to educate, advise, support and respond to bullying wherever it occurs.
"While even one incident of bullying is one too many, the figures show Warrington performs very well against regional and national averages in dealing with this issue."
Across the country, the national average number of exclusions for bullying dropped by 14 per cent between the two school years.
In 2017/18, there were 3,660 such exclusions in English schools, compared to 4,275 cases recorded in 2016/17.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson continued: "All schools have their own anti-bullying and behaviour policies based on Department for Education guidance.
"A major factor in the increased figure is schools becoming better at identifying bullying and dealing with it, and children feeling more confident to speak out and report it.
"The impact of social media and incidents outside of school also contribute to the need for schools to address bullying.
"The council provides support and advice to schools and parents through our Education Safeguarding Team."
Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling, said: "It is encouraging to see that in many areas the numbers of exclusions for bullying are decreasing.
"While this doesn’t necessarily mean that bullying is becoming less of an issue, it might suggest that schools are taking measures to deal with the problem, rather than just removing the children involved."
READ > Youngsters dance the night away at Warrington's first LGBT prom
For more information about this research visit the Oxford Home Schooling website.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel