A SCOTTISH pupil who brought a knife into school has been allowed back into the classroom, raising fresh fears over the controversial policy of reducing exclusions.
The 13-year-old boy, from a Glasgow secondary school, was caught with a ceremonial dagger in his bag earlier this year.
Police were informed and the pupil was excluded while the incident was investigated, but he has now been returned to the classroom under strict supervision after he claimed he had brought the weapon to school to sell it.
The boy – whose risk assessment says he has a history of physical violence against other pupils and aggression towards staff – has his bag checked every morning by the deputy headteacher.
He is also supervised throughout the day by a pupil support assistant and is escorted from the premises at the end of school.
His risk assessment form warns staff not to engage in the event of a future incident with instruction to use an "emergency" quick-dial button on their mobile phones to summon assistance.
Last night, teaching unions warned the policy of reducing exclusions had gone too far. Under the policy, schools first put in place support for disruptive youngsters, rather than automatically applying for exclusion.
Schools still do not tolerate violent or abusive behaviour, but, where a pupil is guilty of such an offence, different strategies are employed such as sin-bins, the involvement of campus police officers and restorative justice techniques.
As a result, the number of cases where violent or abusive pupils have been suspended or expelled from state-run secondary schools has plummeted in recent years. Glasgow has seen its figures fall significantly.
Alan McKenzie, acting general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association, said there should be a zero-tolerance approach to carrying knifes. "There is a pressure now with the Scottish Government and councils trying to reduce exclusions at any price and that is having an impact in the classroom," he said.
"The expectation is that pupils come to school to learn and teachers are not there to police them in this way. There should be no tolerance of knife and weapon carrying."
However, Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS, said every case should be treated on its merits.
"We are clear that violent or potentially violent behaviour in schools, while rare, must be dealt with firmly and effectively," he said.
"The EIS is generally supportive of the principle of reducing exclusion, but permanent exclusion for serious cases must remain an element of school discipline policy.
"While each case must be considered on the particular circumstances, as a rule we believe that any pupil who brings a weapon to school to threaten or commit violence, should be removed from that school for the safety of both staff and pupils."
A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said the council had made great strides in the management and reduction of exclusions over the past few years using a variety of methods – but not at the expense of staff or pupil safety.
"This pupil was dealt with appropriately through a temporary exclusion and a serious-incident referral.
"The poorly constructed and ill-written risk assessment is being re-drafted to a standard we would expect from a senior manager."
There have been a number of cases this year where Glasgow pupils have been permanently excluded for having a weapon.
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