Primary schools need more specialist help to deal with vulnerable children with additional needs as some are being left out of mainstream education for too long, Ofsted says.
The last five years has seen the number of primary school-age children who have been referred to alternative provision (AP) surge by a quarter to 7,000.
These units are used when a school cannot manage the child’s physical or verbally violent behaviour, and the negative effects it may have on other pupils and staff.
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman said: “It seems shocking that primary age children as young as five could be taken out of school for violent behaviour”, but APs can be a “positive choice” for these children.
