Almost all children excluded from Braintree and Witham primary schools in the past two years had special educational needs, according to council figures.

Thirty-three of the 36 given a fixed term exclusion between September 2010 and Easter 2012 had special educational needs (SEN).

Essex County Council has admitted the “over representation” of pupils with SEN being excluded is a county-wide and national concern.

A Witham mother-of-two, whose son has SEN and was excluded twice, said: “I am so appalled, I didn’t for a second think anybody else would be going through this.

“Exclusion doesn’t work, which is why good schools don’t exclude.”

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