Disruptive pupils can play 'get out of class free' cards

Published on Wednesday 2 September 2009 09:43

UNRULY pupils are being given "get out of class free" cards allowing them to leave lessons if they feel they are going to become disruptive.

The measure is being used at Wester Hailes Education Centre as part of a bid to cut down on the number of children being excluded and could form part of a city-wide policy.

Problem pupils are given the cards which they can hand to a teacher during a lesson, giving them permission to leave the room and calm down before returning.

It also emerged today that across the city, teachers are being given training in how to diffuse heated situations by talking to youngsters in calming voices, introducing "distraction techniques" and using "gentle persuasion" to prevent trouble erupting in the classroom.

Alex Wood, headteacher of WHEC and a member of the working group developing the new city council policy, insisted that it was not intended to get rid of exclusion for persistent bad behaviour.

He said there were many techniques schools could use to stop the situation getting that bad.

He said: "Teachers will be given advice in how to deal with situations like avoiding eye contact, keeping their voice low and calm or removing a kid from class for a brief period.

"We can also give kids get out of class cards so if a kid knows they are about to lose it they can give their teacher a card to leave the room to calm down.

"Schools all have their own different strategies but all schools should be developing strategies like this to enable them to avoid difficult situations."

Mr Wood believes that early intervention is the key to reducing exclusions, and that the children most likely to have problems are usually easy to identify in advance.

He added: "I have no doubt about the fact that the primary function of schools is learning and have no doubt about the fact that all kids deserve the opportunity to learn and if particular children are regularly disrupting classes then action is required.

"That action can still be exclusion. It is occasionally necessary and I'm committed to that, but am also committed to reducing the numbers where possible."

Edinburgh's exclusion rate is already below the national average, though education bosses want to promote early intervention to drive it down further. Between August 2008 and February this year, a total of 980 pupils were excluded.

New advice being developed for schools is that excluding pupils must only be used as a "last resort" and alternatives are being promoted to headteachers to help keep troublesome children in mainstream schools.

City education leader Marilyne MacLaren said: "This policy strengthens that approach whilst ensuring that where exclusions are needed, they are managed in the best possible way.

"No-one wants to see children wandering the streets and getting into trouble during school hours.

"The best place for a child to be is at school."