ONE of Liverpool’s flagship academies expelled a quarter of all the pupils removed from the city’s secondary schools last year, the Daily Post can reveal.

The figures come as senior teaching figures questioned whether academies are attempting to manipulate their school rolls and boost results by weeding out more vulnerable youngsters.

Ian Andain, treasurer of the Liverpool Association of Headteachers, said: “There is concern within the secondary sector in Liverpool that some academies are using the system to benefit their intake and to boost results.”

Council figures show The North Liverpool Academy in Anfield permanently excluded 20 children last year – half for disruptive behaviour.

Academies are part of New Labour’s attempts to turn around failing schools, attaching them to private sponsors who can have an input into curriculum issues.

The number of expulsions at the academy, which is sponsored by Granada Learning and the University of Liverpool, has pushed the number of pupils expelled across Liverpool to 79 – a 24% rise.

For the previous two years less than 60 children were removed.

The academy also expelled two thirds more than the most prolific schools in the other Merseyside authorities.

Brookfield School racked up the most permanent exclusions in Knowsley with six pupils, while Hillside High ejected five – the most in Sefton – and Bebington High expelled the most in Wirral with six.

A spokesman for the North Liverpool academy said: “Removing students for activities relating to drugs, knives or unacceptable behaviour will remain our policy.

“We are here to provide a safe and enjoyable educational experience for the students within North Liverpool.”

A city council spokesman added: “The latest government figures show permanent exclusions in Liverpool are almost half that of other similar large cities. 0.16% of the total school population are permanently excluded in this city, compared with 0.28% among similar cities and 0.22% nationally.

“Indeed, the Department for Children Schools and Families describes Liverpool’s performance as being ‘above expectations’.”

Pupils permanently excluded from schools are sent to pupil referral units until they can be found a place back in mainstream education.

But figures by the Daily Post obtained under the Freedom of Information Act also reveal that some of the schools suffering the biggest disciplinary records are having to accept these expelled pupils.

Wallasey School, for example, took in four expelled pupils last year alone.

It is also the school which has among the highest rates of suspensions in the City Region.

More than 300 half day suspensions were handed out there last year. The council explained many of these suspensions come from a crackdown on smoking.

Wallasey headteacher Phil Duffy confirmed the school did take hard line action in the interest of its pupils but did not discuss the allocation of expelled pupils to his school.

The pattern is repeated in Knowsley where All Saints Catholic High, Kirkby, took in two pupils expelled by other high schools. The school also recorded 40 short “fixed term expulsions” or suspensions.

A spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “Where fixed term exclusions are used in Wirral schools, they are used over a short number of days and we make sure that alternative provision is made for the pupil’s education.

“When used correctly, fixed term exclusions are an effective way of enabling a pupil to improve or modify behaviour which is causing concern. Experience has shown that where parents and school work together in these cases, fixed term exclusions can be very effective.”

But this is not the opinion of some educational experts.

Dr Stephanie Petrie, a sociology lecturer at University of Liverpool, said: “You need to look at the staffing profile to understand what is going on.

“If there’s a high level of supply staffing, then there is often a high level of disruption and low level of control.

“It’s often less to do with bad behaviour and more to do with the capacity of staff to deal with pupils.”

Mr Andain, who is also headteacher at Broadgreen International School where four pupils were expelled last year, said: “Headteachers are responsible for retention and training of teachers.

“You only use (fixed term) exclusions when you really have to get through to pupils and parents. More often than not it is a salutary experience but you’ve got to be careful in how you use it.

“As a headteacher we have put systems in place to deal with unreasonable behaviour and that includes internal exclusion and quality training of our staff.”

Experts also agree that exclusions can often be counterproductive and can push vulnerable young people towards a life of crime.

In studies carried out by Dr Petrie she reported that: “Fixed term exclusions have resulted in more anti social behaviour because they fall out of a school environment.

“Then there is the research that shows that low educational achievement has a strong correlation to higher crime rates.”