THE number of pupils being excluded from schools in Renfrewshire has plummeted by more than 75 per cent in the past 15 years.

Back in 2002/03, more than 2,000 pupils were suspended from Renfrewshire schools but that dropped to just over 500 in 2016/17, according to figures from the Scottish Government.

The decrease is much higher than the national drop, with the number of exclusions going down by almost half in that time across Scotland.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring every young person has the best possible start in life and all our schools operate a welcoming and inclusive ethos.

“We work hard to support our pupils whenever they have any issues and try to identify the causes of poor behaviour.

“It is rare we would exclude any pupil and this would normally only take place while we discuss the most appropriate arrangements to support their return.

“We take our duty to provide all children in Renfrewshire with an education seriously.”

A total of 408 pupils were excluded from secondary schools in Renfrewshire in 2016/17, while 81 were suspended from primaries.

The remaining 17 were excluded from special schools.