PUPILS are being excluded for sexual misconduct at a rate of five-a-term from North-East schools.

A total of 68 pupils have been given either fixed term or permanent exclusions over the last four years for sexual misconduct, including five primary school children, according to new figures released under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI).

Sexual misconduct includes behaviour such as sexual bullying, sexual harassment, sexual assault and ‘sexting’ – sending texts containing sexual messages or images, often of other classmates.

Jon Brown, NSPCC theme lead on sexual abuse said: “With computers, 3G phones and other technologies, children are being exposed to sexual language, imagery and ideas at a younger age.

“At least one out of every three cases of child sexual abuse is committed by a child and alarmingly recent research commissioned by the NSPCC shows that some children now see sexual aggression and exploitation as part of normal life.

“It’s crucial that children are taught about healthy, caring relationships in an age appropriate manner rather than turning to pornography which can give them a warped and disturbing view of sex.”

Durham schools handed out 54 exclusions, including the five from primary schools. Hartlepool had the fewest, with only one exclusion in the past three years. Middlesbrough issued ten and Darlington three.

The most serious incident happened in Darlington during the 2010-11 term when a male student was permanently excluded for sexual assault. It is not known whether the crime was reported to the police.

Caroline O’Neill, Durham County Council’s head of education, said: “We take the issue of sexual misconduct by pupils very seriously and have extremely rigorous procedures in place for recording any incidents.

“However, the figures obtained under FOI for County Durham include academies and are, therefore, not directly comparable with those for other areas where academies are not included.”

Only one offence had warranted a permanent exclusion with the others being less serious, such as inappropriate use of a mobile phone, she said.

A recent Ofsted report criticised sexual education in schools, claiming it was not being covered enough, did not focus on the relationship aspect of sex, and said that children were being left vulnerable as a result.

The failure to discuss pornography in the classroom, it said: "...is concerning as research shows that children as young as nine are increasingly accessing pornographic internet sites.”

At its Easter conference, the National Union of Teachers also voiced concern that schools are not required to devote any time to sex and relationship classes.

The data showed that male students were mostly to blame, with only four female pupils disciplined.