RECORDS show 664 pupils were suspended from St Helens schools during the last year for offences including assaults on teachers, sexual misconduct and drug dealing.

In a week when most of the borough's pupils return to school, the Star has obtained figures that illustrate examples of the behaviour teachers are facing.

Teaching unions claim many instances of threats and violence against staff go unreported and that the figures, which indicate adult staff were subject to 88 assaults, do not portray the full picture.

Local National Union of Teachers official Robin Pye said violence and abuse is driving good, young teachers out of the profession.

He added that fresh procedures are being drawn up with the local education authority about how pupils who assault school staff should be punished.

During the academic year 2005/06 there were 1,230 instances of fixed-term exclusions (suspensions). However, no pupils were permanently officially excluded. The bulk of suspensions were enforced at secondary schools with 573 pupils forced to stay away from school.

At primary schools, a total of 75 pupils were punished with 153 exclusions.

Meanwhile, Mr Pye, who is secretary of St Helens NUT said abuse and violence faced by local teachers is a big issue. He hopes new policies being drawn up by the LEA will send out a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated.

He said: "What we want is a policy to involve a clear message based on a set of sanctions. If the instance of verbal abuse or assault is very serious, we would expect that to result in a pupil having to leave the school."

At present it is up to individual schools to decide what action should be taken against violent or abusive pupils.

He said teachers have to contend with pupils threatening "to get them done" by making false allegations or saying they "will get their dad in to sort them out."

Mr Pye continued: "This is the single biggest reason teachers leave the profession within the first five years. Every year money is spent training teachers and just under half leave the profession after five years - some of them young, really promising teachers."

PUPILS were suspended from St Helens borough schools (2005/06 academic year) for the following reasons;

Alcohol related - 9

Bullying - 18

Damage to property - 44

Drug consumption - 13

Drug dealing - 9

Drug possession first offence - 8

Drug possession subsequent

offence - 2

Persistent disruptive behaviour -

238

Physical assault on an adult - 88

Physical assault on a pupil - 113

Racial abuse - 6

Sexual misconduct - 5

Theft - 17

Verbal abuse/ threat to an adult -

406

Verbal abuse/threat to a pupil - 112

Other - 142

Fixed-term exclusions in the academic year 2005 - 2006: 1,230

Secondary: 1049, Primary: 153

Special school and Pupil Referral

Unit: 28