SCHOOLS in Widnes and Runcorn are dishing out more and more exclusions to pupils, new data has revealed.

On average five children were excluded from schools in the area on every school day last year.

The revelation comes after a warning from MPs that parents and children are having to contend with a 'scandal of ever-increasing exclusions' in a system that is like the 'Wild West'.

In the 2016-17 academic year, schools in Halton handed out 888 exclusions, according to data from the Department for Education.

Each excluded pupil received an average of two exclusions over the school year, and lost around four days of teaching apiece.

The number of exclusions represents an increase of 10% from the previous year when 808 exclusions were recorded, and an increase of 20% from the level it was at five years ago.

Although the school population has been increasing at the same time, the rate at which exclusions have increased is higher than the rate of population growth.

The majority of the exclusions in 2016-17 - 714 of them - were in secondary schools with 174 in primary schools.

The most common reason for a child to be excluded from a school in Halton was for persistent disruptive behaviour, which accounted for 34% of exclusions.

Ministers from the cross-party House of Commons education committee have published a highly critical report on the current exclusions system in England.

A rise in 'zero-tolerance' behaviour policies may mean that 'pupils are punished and ultimately excluded' for incidents that 'could and should' have been better managed, the report stated.

The MPs also criticised a 'lack of moral accountability' among many schools which have little incentive to keep on students that are seen as 'difficult or challenging'.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "Schools should only use permanent exclusions as a last resort but we do support teachers in taking proportionate and measured steps to ensure good behaviour in schools.

“Whilst we know there has been an increase in exclusions there are still fewer than the peak ten years ago.

"We recognise some groups of pupils are more likely to be excluded than others which is why we launched an externally-led review to look at how schools are using exclusions and why certain groups are disproportionately affected."