The Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson commented on the issue of pupil discipline, emphasising the government’s support for headteachers to be able to enforce “proper and full discipline” within their schools. Mr Williamson acknowledged that suspension and expulsion should not be the “first course of action” and that many schools already had “well-structured discipline.”
It was announced that “crack teams” would be sent to support the small number of schools that are “really stuck … making sure that the discipline that is so vital for their success is something that is going to be – the teachers will have the tools in order to be able to enforce that”
Meanwhile, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of NAHT, responded to Williamson’s comments with caution, noting that “tough talk on exclusion doesn’t help the pupils most at risk from it … exclusion is a legitimate, but limited, response to very challenging behaviour, physical violence or repeated disruption of learning.”