Last week, a Bridgend Council scrutiny committee discussed a report on school behaviour and attendance (pdf).
Over the last few years, there have been many stories about worsening behaviour in schools since the Covid-19 pandemic – which the report describes as a “significant catalyst” – alongside mental health and social issues.
Figures from the NASUWT union cited in the report say that the number of violent incidents in Welsh schools increased by over 150% between 2019 and 2024. Up to 92% of teachers in Wales have been verbally abused by pupils, while 35.5% have been assaulted.
School Behaviour & Attendance in Bridgend
The number of permanent exclusions in Bridgend has trebled since 2021-22, increasing from 9 to 30. So far in the 2024-25 school year, there have been 22 permanent exclusions. The vast majority of these are secondary school pupils.
The number of suspensions (short/fixed-term exclusions) has broadly remained within the range of 1,200-1,600 over the last three school years, with 1,221 recorded so far during 2024-25. Again, the majority of these are secondary school pupils. The most common reason for a suspension is “persistent disruptive behaviour”. Other common reasons include physical and verbal abuse.
The figures for permanent and fixed-terms suspensions in Bridgend were broadly similar to averages across south Wales.
The good news is that there’s been a marked improvement in school attendance rates over the last four school years. As of the spring term 2024-25, primary schools average 93.9% attendance (90.1% in 2021-22) and secondary schools 88.8% (86.5% in 2021-22). Both are higher than the Welsh average.
Despite this, the report says that 7% of primary and 16% of secondary school pupils had attendance rates of 80% or below during 2023-24. 5% of secondary pupils attended school for less than half of the time.
What are Bridgend Council doing about it?
- Inspire2Work – A project backed by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, targeting people aged 11-25 who are at risk of not being in employment, education or training (NEETs). The project offers tailored support, tracking to ensure they remain on course, and even manages a voluntary change of school (where needed).
- School Avoidance – Education Welfare Officers have been trained to provide better support for pupils who have school avoidance problems. These pupils often have what are described as emotional difficulties, stress at home, hyperactivity or trouble with their peers.
- School Counselling – Counselling services were cut under the most recent council budget, which officers say “will be challenging”. Counselling is seen as a preventative measure, but pupils with more complicated needs are referred to other services such as CAMHS.
- Family Engagement Officers (FEOs) – Nine FEOs support building relationships between families and schools to improve attendance.
- Access to Education Panel – This panel, which is made up of headteachers and council officers, meets half-termly. They receive referrals from schools when the school has run out of options to support a pupil to remain in a mainstream school environment.
- Bridge Alternative & Ysgol Bryn Castell – Both the Bridge Alternative (Pupil Referral Unit) and Ysgol Bryn Castell Special School (which specialises in autistic spectrum, ADHD and school avoidance) are running at full capacity. This has led to some pupils being sent out-of-county.
- Enrichment Programmes – Most schools offer one-day or week-long immersive programmes involving outside providers, industry experts and universities. These sessions are usually hands-on or focus on topics or activities that the pupils choose themselves.
