Croydon had London’s highest number of students expelled from secondary school in 2009-10, according to new Government statistics.

A total of 59 pupils were permanently excluded from the borough’s state-funded secondary schools in the period.

The largest number, 15, were expelled for persistent disruptive behaviour, with 14 banned for physical assault against a pupil, and seven for assaulting an adult.

The statistics were released by the Department of Education on Thursday, July 28.

The borough’s 14 primary school students who were expelled during the same period represented the highest number in outer London.

A further 276 primary and 1,397 secondary school students were given fixed period exclusions.

The vast majority of excluded secondary school students were banned for assaulting a student, verbal abuse against an adult or disruptive behaviour, but 22 exclusions were drink or drug related, 18 involved sexual misconduct, and five racist abuse.