LONDON’S VIOLENCE Reduction Unit (VRU) is investing £4.7 million in a series of programmes to tackle school exclusions and support vulnerable young Londoners through education.

The VRU – set up by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, last year and the first of its kind in England – will fund educational initiatives in schools aimed at reducing exclusion rates and providing support for young people as they make the transition from primary school to secondary school.

Investment will be targeted to ensure support for pupils with the most complex needs. The VRU will also fund additional provision for the crucial after-school period in response to data that showed incidents of youth violence are more likely to happen at the end of the school day.

Young people excluded from mainstream education often end up only receiving part-time education and are at significantly greater risk of becoming involved in or affected by serious youth violence, according to research.

Rates of school exclusions have been rising for the past five years, with the rate of permanent exclusions across the country increasing by 61 per cent since 2012/13. Black Caribbean pupils were permanently excluded at nearly three times the rate of white British pupils, according to 2016/17 government data.

Khan said: “I have been clear that we have to do everything we can to keep young people in schools, and the current approach to exclusions simply isn’t working – for teachers or pupils – and this has to change.”

He added: “The government has said they will finally reverse some of the cuts made over the last nine years in police officer numbers, but they need to invest substantially more in policing immediately at the same time as investing in preventing crime. The best way to prevent crime is before it occurs. We need a joined-up approach with local authorities given more responsibility over school exclusions and off-rolling to ensure they aren’t misused.”

The VRU funding to tackle school exclusions follows the mayor’s investment in youth workers based in hospital locations, who will work to steer young people away from violence and help to address the root causes of violence. The VRU has also invested £1.4m in community groups that specialise in early intervention to tackle knife crime by providing young Londoners with access to positive activities.

This approach has been in part inspired by Glasgow’s successful knife crime solutions. Lib Peck, VRU director, visited the city in June and learned about the steps taken by Maureen McKenna, director of education at Glasgow City Council, to cut exclusion rates. McKenna’s drive to change the culture and practice in schools, the introduction of programmes that kept children engaged in school and strong support for headteachers saw exclusions reduce by 81 per cent and violence fall by 48 per cent over the past decade.  

Peck said: “Learning from what programmes in schools have been successful in reducing exclusions, the VRU will invest new funds into schools to help them create a supportive and safe environment for all pupils. The projects we are funding will keep young people safe during the hours after school, and help to steer vulnerable young people at risk of becoming involved in violence onto a more positive path. This is about a long-term and lasting change to our society that puts the futures of our young people first.”