Commenting on the Timpson review into school exclusions, Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds said:

“The Timpson report makes some welcome recommendations that schools should only exclude pupils as a last resort. Exclusions at UK schools are now the highest in 10 years and, while the vast majority of schools did not expel a single pupil in 2016/17, some expelled more than 10 pupils. 78 per cent of permanent exclusions were to children with special needs, or eligible for free school meals.

“It is very worrying that school exclusions are now at a 10 year high. The report recognises that pupils who are expelled and referred to Pupil Referral Units are often preyed on by criminal gangs. Wolverhampton and the West Midlands face a knife crime epidemic and, with the rise of county lines drug networks, we cannot let an exclusion spiral into a life of crime.

“Schools should be discouraged from excluding children. But when used as a last resort, support must be there to ensure they do not become even more vulnerable and fall into the hands of criminals. Our priority must be to protect vulnerable children.”