SCHOOLS across Middlesbrough have been given a pat on the back after halving the number of pupils excluded.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar congratulated teachers, pupils and their parents for their success in reducing permanent exclusions.

The news that numbers had been halved between 2001 and 2003 was, said Mr Kumar, "a testament to teachers working tirelessly to see that hard-to-teach children were kept in a school setting".

The figures showed that there were eight permanent exclusions in the school year 2001/2, but only four in 2002/3, the last year for which figures are available.

Mr Kumar said: "First of all, these figures show that permanent exclusions have been halved. It proves that secondary school teachers in Middlesbrough are having great success in working with children who might otherwise have lost out on education through being excluded.

"I know that this is a hard and arduous job, but it is one that has been tackled successfully.

"Four permanent exclusions represents just 0.08 per cent of the secondary school population - something to be very proud of, and to bear in mind when we see mindless tabloid headlines about supposed 'anarchy' in the classrooms."