Swinney: Exclusions could push pupils into criminality

The Herald Scotland

7 hours ago

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Mr Findlay told MSPs the guidance was overly bureaucratic and would tie the hands of teachers trying to deal with serious disruption and violence in classrooms.
'It is exactly what you might expect from this ineffective Government,' he said. 'Forty-nine pages of tedious, hand-wringing nonsense, complicated and confusing.'
The Conservative leader mocked some of the suggested interventions, including giving violent pupils laminated cards to reflect on their behaviour and letting disruptive pupils leave class two minutes early.
He said: 'That sounds like a reward rather than a punishment.'
Challenging the First Minister directly, Mr Findlay asked: 'Will John Swinney end the barrage of guidance and please empower teachers to take a stricter approach?'
But Mr Swinney accused Mr Findlay of misrepresenting the document and ignoring expert advice.
'I do not think for a moment that Mr Findlay's presentation of the guidance is in any way, shape or form representative of what is actually there,' he said.
He told Parliament the guidance aimed to help schools de-escalate situations and keep young people engaged in education.
'If young people are unable to participate in their education, they are unlikely to go on to good outcomes in our society, and we will simply repeat the difficulties that we have seen for many years of young people who do not go on to positive destinations,' he said.
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay during First Minister's Questions (Image: Jane Barlow/PA) Mr Findlay argued that the SNP's 'soft-touch' approach was failing teachers and putting safety at risk.
'He virtually stopped exclusions, which is causing discipline to collapse. He turned teachers into social workers. He sent a dangerous message to disruptive pupils that they can get away with it,' he said.
'We need a tougher approach not laminated cards and inclusive chats. If pupils are violent or serially disruptive, we should exclude them.'
Mr Swinney pushed back, citing the most recent data.
'Mr Findlay said that I had stopped exclusions in Scottish education, but I have just told Parliament that there were 11,676 exclusions in 2022–23,' he said. 'That statement is false.'
The First Minister said exclusions could lead pupils to criminality.
'If a young person is excluded from school, they are not in the safe environment of school,' he said.
'They are therefore likely to be out on the streets and potentially able to become involved in some of the criminal activity that Mr Findlay has put to me, in the past fortnight at First Minister's Questions, as being a risk to which young people are exposed.
'I simply point out to Parliament the inherent contradiction in what has been put to me. Two weeks ago, Mr Findlay said that we must make sure that young people are not exposed to criminal activity and, today, he is demanding that we exclude more young people from schools and put them at risk of being exposed to that criminal activity.'
Mr Swinney said the new guidance reflected input from education professionals and violence reduction experts, and reaffirmed that exclusion remained part of a school's toolkit, but only when other options had been exhausted.
'The guidance is crystal clear that exclusions are part of the approach that can be taken, but I am making it clear today that exclusions can have negative consequences for young people,' he said.
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Mr Findlay was unconvinced.
'People in the real world know how to sort out the problem,' he said. 'We believe in exclusions for violence because they protect staff and pupils and because they work.'
He accused Mr Swinney of creating a classroom culture that discouraged discipline and accountability.
'He fundamentally changed the classroom culture, and that is now harming children and their education,' he said.
The First Minister insisted his approach was rooted in both evidence and compassion.
'What we are getting from Russell Findlay today is a demonisation of young people and a failure to address the mechanisms and interventions required to solve a difficult issue in our society,' he said. 'It is simplistic nonsense, and Parliament should ignore it.'