Respecting pupil rights reduces crime, says mayor

A taxpayer-funded programme aiming to support children's rights is responsible for London-wide reductions in persistent absenteeism, suspensions and exclusions, according to City Hall.

At a visit to school in Kilburn, west London on Monday, mayor Lord Khan said children who were excluded from school "were twice as likely to get involved in violence".

But Conservative London Assembly member Neil Garratt questioned whether keeping potentially disruptive pupils in schools would disrupt the education of others.

Around one in four state schools in London are now signed up to the Unicef UK's Rights Respecting Schools Award.

The mayor's London Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) is spending £1.4m over four years on the Unicef UK programme, providing state-funded schools with free access to tools to embed children's rights into their ethos, policy and practice.

City Hall said: "Evidence shows this approach, which centres on prevention and early intervention, is working - Office for National Statistics figures show a 15% drop in knife crime in the past 12 months.

"The establishment of the mayor of London's Inclusion Charter... has coincided with continued reductions in exclusions, suspensions and absenteeism.

"This is critical as evidence shows young people are twice as likely to be involved in violence in the first 12 months of being permanently excluded."

The headteacher of St Augustine's Church of England High School in Kilburn Park, which is taking part in the Unicef UK programme, told BBC London that giving pupils a voice has led to better behaviour and fewer suspensions.

Some pupils are also supportive.

Hidaya, aged 17, said the scheme gave her a sense of, "I belong to here, I belong here, this is something that belongs to me".

She added: "It makes me want to come to school and want to be in school and want to learn and get my qualifications."

Kyron, also 17, said: "Most times when stuff happens to people, the first thing they will do is find the closest and warmest person that they can find and just confide in them.

"And if they can't do that is when they start to edge towards more of the harmful things."

Nkechi Simms, an actress who starred as Keziah in TV show Top Boy, was excluded from school aged 12. She said she also backed the scheme.

"Where you lack community and where you lack belonging, you go and seek it elsewhere and it makes you incredibly vulnerable and susceptible to violence."

Garratt, who represents Sutton and Croydon in the assembly, said while the VRU had done good work, the scheme "is a very ideological, far-left crusade to try and keep violent students in school".

He told BBC London: "I don't want to see violent students kept in school. Parents don't want that, teachers don't want that, other students don't want it. I don't know why the mayor wants it."

He added: "It sounds nice, 'inclusion'.

"What it means in practice is sometimes violent, often disruptive students kept in class, ruining education for 29 other people. I don't think that's a good idea."

Lord Khan said: "We know that children who have the best possible start in life do better.

"We also know that the safest place for children - and for others - is for them to be inside schools.

"And in the past, too many children were being excluded or suspended and absenteeism was an issue.

"We also know that children who are excluded from school are twice as likely to get involved in violence."

City Hall said the programme is part of the VRU's £16m investment in targeted interventions, including oracy (the range of skills used to express our thoughts verbally) interventions in primary schools and a mentoring programme in pupil referral units in every London borough.

By Sonja Jessup, BBC London's home affairs correspondent

The mayor set up the violence reduction unit in 2019 to take a public health approach to tackling crime and treat the underlying causes behind it.

But proving how effective specific policies like this are is very challenging.

For example, permanent exclusions fell by 14% in London last year, but they also fell across England.

Knife crime and homicide has also been falling, but nine teenagers have been killed so far this year, compared to eight in 2025.

The factors driving violence are complex and solutions often costly with no quick fixes.

However, speak to young victims of crime, former offenders and those who work with both - and the frequent call is for more preventive, early intervention.

It will take time to see if the mayor's inclusion approach in London's schools can help keep more young people safe.

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