Boys accounted for eight out of 10 expulsions

Permanent exclusions in England increased 4% from 9,135 in 2000-01 to 9,540 in 2001-02, according to the Department for Education and Skills.

More parents appealed against expulsions last year compared with the year before, but the proportion that were successful fell from 32% to 24%.

But the government said there was still cause for "cautious optimism".

'Extraordinary complacency'

However, shadow education secretary Damian Green said: "This is yet another target that the government has failed to meet, and yet another sign that this government is failing in education.

"For the government to say it greets these figures with 'cautious optimism' shows extraordinary complacency.

"Exclusions are rising and the number of appeals against exclusion, which take up so much time for busy head teachers, are also rising.

"Unless the government tackles the underlying cause of rising violence and indiscipline in our schools, by backing the authority of heads and teachers and not interfering in the way schools are run, this problem will continue to get worse."

Despite the second consecutive rise in the expulsion figure, the total was still down on 12,668 in 1996-97.

Rule changes

Expulsions of children aged five to 11 increased slightly from 1,436 to 1,450, while the secondary permanent exclusion figures rose to 7,740 from 7,305.

Boys accounted for more than eight out of 10 expulsions and 62% involved 13, 14 and 15 year olds.

Black Caribbean pupils had the highest permanent exclusion rate by ethnic group, at 41 in every 10,000, compared with two in 10,000 Chinese pupils.

Parents lodged 1,125 appeals, up from 1,095, and 1,060 were heard, up from 983, but only 259 went their way.

Under former Education Secretary David Blunkett, the government ordered schools to reduce the number of expulsions by a third by September 2002.

After it fell to within 200 of that line in 2001, his successor, Estelle Morris, abandoned further targets for reducing expulsions.

They had proved unpopular with head teachers, who protested they undermined efforts to maintain discipline in schools.

Instead, Ms Morris and her successor, Charles Clarke, toughened the rules governing appeal panels after a wave of industrial action ballots by teachers.

In many cases, they refused to have pupils expelled for violence and then reinstated back in their classrooms.

Young People's Minister Ivan Lewis said: "Overall, these figures present reason for cautious optimism.

"The overall number of exclusions in 2001-02 has only increased slightly and remains well down on 1997, with the rate of increase considerably less than the previous year.

"Similarly, while the number of appeals remains constant, the number being upheld by panels has significantly reduced.

"We are committed to backing head teachers' authority when pupils' behaviour warrants exclusion.

"We have made clear that heads can permanently exclude for a first offence.