A TEACHERS' union secretary is calling for a new centre to deal with excluded pupils following the publication of a damning report.

Out of 20 London boroughs, Greenwich had 1,526 suspensions and expulsions for physical and verbal assaults on teachers and other pupils in the past school year.

Now Greenwich branch secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) Tim Woodcock is calling for a new facility to help excluded pupils with emotional problems.

He said: "This is one of the most inclusive boroughs in the country.

"We do not have special schools anymore to cater for students with emotional difficulties and we need some sort of facility to deal with them in a more effective way than we have."

He added: "Schools are ill-equipped to deal with children with problems and they really need to find a better way of dealing with them.

"Staff need training to equip them to deal with a wide range of children. It's beyond their experience."

"It's important to find help for a child in an adequate way so they can be integrated back into the school."

Greenwich Council says it already has a centre in place called the Pupil Referral Unit in New Haven Way, Greenwich, to help get children back into mainstream education straight away.

But Karen Renwick, whose 15-year-old son was expelled from Crown Woods School, Riefield Road, Eltham, for allegedly carrying a knife in May 2003, says the unit has flaws and many do not return to school immediately.

Mrs Renwick of Westmount Road, Eltham, said: "The unit is a one-way door. Pupils should be moved out within five weeks but in the majority of cases they are not integrated back into school straight away and they get demoralised and drop out.

"I had to fight to get my son back into school. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. My son ended up staying at the unit for two years."

She added: "The unit offers part-time education and needs to provide full access to the National Curriculum.

"I agree with Mr Woodcock there should be more resources for permanently excluded children so they don't miss out on their education. It's very demoralising for them.

"Schools should work with children to stop exclusions and they should only be used as a last resort.

"The tragedy which follows for students is very sad indeed."

A council spokesman said: "Greenwich Council is committed to ensuring the education of children in our schools is unaffected by the actions of a minority of pupils who, for a variety of reasons, disrupt the learning of others.

"We also recognise the need to reduce the number of exclusions which can arise in these circumstances and have started to implement a plan to achieve this.

"As part of this plan we are currently reviewing our procedures to ensure we intervene at an early stage to improve the behaviour of all children and hence reduce the number excluded from our schools."

School attacks

Attacks by pupils on staff or children which resulted in expulsion or suspension:

Greenwich 1,526

Wandsworth 1,053

Tower Hamlets 914

Lambeth 896

Croydon 875

Merton 818

Southwark 770

Enfield 766

Hounslow 756

Sutton 716