Exclusions of care-experienced pupils have fallen across Renfrewshire’s school sectors, officers have told councillors following concerns about an earlier rate nearly twice the Scottish average.
The update was given at Renfrewshire Council’s Education and Children’s Services Policy Board on Thursday, 29th October 2026.
The papers show 151 exclusion incidents per 1,000 looked-after pupils in 2024/25, compared with a Scottish average of 77.
Renfrewshire had the fifth-highest rate among Scotland’s councils that year, although its figure had fallen from 164.49 in 2022/23.
Councillor Carolann Davidson asked what further reduction could be expected, saying the gap with the Scottish average concerned her.
An education officer said national figures for 2025/26 would not be available until the new year.
However, the latest local figures were below the 2024/25 national rate.
The officer said there had been no exclusions of care-experienced pupils in primary schools in 2025/26, with reductions across all sectors.
Secondary schools had seen a particularly marked improvement.
The officer said: “What I would also like to highlight is that, for our 25 and 26 figures on care experience, we had zero exclusions at primary school, and our exclusions were reduced across every sector.”
Councillors were told that support was being developed around schools facing particular challenges, with an emphasis on empathy and the needs of individual pupils.
The newer local figures and the older national comparison cover different school years.