Children behaved so badly that they were excluded from state schools in Brighton and Hove on almost 1,700 occasions in a single year.
Almost all were fixed-period exclusions – formerly known as suspensions – with the number falling to 1,685 in 2017-18 from 1,769 the year before.
In addition, children were expelled – or permanently excluded – on 11 occasions in the most recent year for which figures are available, compared with 17 times in 2016-17.
Pupils were more likely to be temporarily excluded for persistent disruptive behaviour than for any other reason, with 379 cases in 2017-18.
But on 329 occasions students were suspended for threatening an adult or being verbally abusive, down from 421 times in 2016-17.
Pupils were excluded for a fixed period 266 times after fighting with or hitting another child and 131 times after fighting with or hitting an adult.
And on 113 occasions children were temporarily excluded over drink or drugs, up from 59 times the year before. This included smoking.
The figure almost doubled, making it the biggest rise – in absolute and percentage terms – in any of the 12 categories recorded by the Department for Education (DfE).
Suspensions for bullying dropped from 24 to seven. The number for racist abuse fell from 28 to 14. And the number for sexual misconduct went down from 10 to eight.
The DfE figures covered all state primary, secondary and special schools.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Drug and alcohol-related school exclusions has been an increasing issue both nationally and locally in recent years.
“Our youth substance service is called RU-OK. It works very closely with our schools, the police and the local NHS.
“Following the rise in drug and alcohol-related exclusions last year, RU-OK increased its work with schools.
“The service underlined to schools the value of being made aware of problems at the earliest possible stage – preferably before an exclusion happens. These exclusions are almost always temporary.”
Only one pupil was permanently excluded for drink or drugs in 2017-18 in Brighton and Hove – and the year before there were just four cases.
The council added: “RU-OK has an excellent track record in giving young people the support they need to tackle drug and alcohol issues and re-engage productively with their education.
Hold on, didn’t Councillor Nick “Hypocrisy” Childs resign because of his hypocrisy last month?
Perhaps someone at B & H News could why ask it he’s still receiving a full allowance at tax payers expense. Committee Chair AND Deputy Leader – that’s a big old pay day for doing nothing.
I hear the truly incompetent Kate Knight will be taking Child’s place. Let’s see how long it will take before she gets the Children’s Committee axed and the Senior Director quits.