PUPILS with learning disabilities in mainstream schools are routinely barred from school trips and sport or informally sent home in exclusions that are never officially recorded, according to a report.

A survey of parents, pupils and education staff has revealed the alarming statistics which raises grave questions about the efficacy of national policies to include pupils with disabilities in mainstream classes.

By excluding pupils councils are in breach of the 2010 Equality Act, according to Enable Scotland - a charity that supports people with learning disabilities and family carers.

Read more: Enable Scotland says flagship policy to educate pupils with learning disabilities in mainstream schools is 'not working'

Scottish Government Guidance says every exclusion from school must be recorded. But Enable says the informal exclusion of learning disabled pupils is routinely happening under the guise of "cooling off periods", and other euphemisms.

In the charity's survey, which quizzed 410 parents or carers in Scotland, two-fifths said their child had been informally excluded from school while 19 per cent said this was happening on a weekly basis.

More than 200 education staff - headteachers, classroom teachers, additional support for learning teachers and classroom assistants and others - took part in the survey and 57 per cent said they either had, or may have informally, excluded a young person with a learning disability from school.

Enable says exclusion is symptomatic of a lack of resources, training and support for children with disabilities in mainstream classes.

One parent of an eight year old from Perth and Kinross said: "When the school can't cope he is sent for a walk. This happens too often and he is missing a lot of his lessons."

A seven year old attending a mainstream school said: "School is difficult... It is noisy and busy and ... I don't understand the rules. I try to run away and hit out. I am often excluded."

More than a quarter of young people with learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorders said they were denied the same chances their peers had to take part in games and sports and 23 per cent of pupils said they didn't get to go on school trips.

Read more: Enable Scotland says flagship policy to educate pupils with learning disabilities in mainstream schools is 'not working'

More than half of school staff backed up this finding, with 48 per cent saying pupils with learning disabilities were involved in some school activities, but faced barriers to others, while seven per cent said such pupils were "excluded from many school activities/opportunities".

Jan Savage, the charity's executive director of external affairs, said exclusions were symptomatic of a lack of adequate specialist support.

"The report is concrete evidence that this is happening and for a high proportion of families and children it has become a part of school life," she said.

If a child has behaved unacceptably, they should be excluded, she added, but "time after time" the reason for exclusions appeared to be behaviour which should be recognised as a learning disabled child's attempt to communicate their frustration.

"If practical matters such as the lack of an accessible bus prevent school trips, or a lack of specialist teachers means a child cannot take part in swimming classes, for example, that is a flagrant breach of that young person's rights," she said.

Many families addressed in the survey said they distrusted school explanations for the exclusions.

Parents whose children had been excluded were given reasons such as that their child was not coping (46 per cent), the class or activity taking place was not suitable for their child (28 per cent) or was for a child's own good because they were "having a bad day" (46 per cent).

Read more: Enable Scotland says flagship policy to educate pupils with learning disabilities in mainstream schools is 'not working'

But 60 per cent of families did not agree with these explanations, claiming the true reason for exclusion was the school not coping (52 per cent) the child not being listened to (43 per cent) or not getting the support they needed (75 per cent).

Families said exclusions caused disruption and stress at home and 53 per cent said they were unable to work due to the risk of their child being excluded from school.

They also reported high levels of bullying, and children feeling isolated and friendless, and 60 per cent of young people with learning disabilities told the charity they felt lonely at school, while two thirds said they had been bullied. The majority of education staff (59 per cent) said children and young people who have learning disabilities have fewer friends.

Enable Scotland is calling for the Government to make informal exclusions more visible and reduce their use, by asking school inspectors to record occurrences, while also asking explicitly whether pupils can participate fully in school trips and extra-curricular activities.

The charity supports the inclusion of pupils in mainstream classes, but says its findings show a lack of staff and resources is leading it to fail children.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said ministers were aware of high levels of exclusion of pupils with learning disabilities. She said: "The exclusion rate per 1,000 pupils, for pupils who have an additional support need, is more than four times higher than those who have no additional support needs. That is unacceptable and more needs to be done to reduce these numbers."

New guidance on school exclusions would be published shortly, she said. " The guidance sets out clearly that there are additional factors that need to be considered when a child or young person has an additional support need and that all exclusions from school must be formally recorded.”