Enfield has the second highest number of students in London who have been expelled from school, new figures reveal.

According to official statistics on the government website released this week, 67 Enfield pupils were permanently excluded in 2014/15, the most recent figures available.

Only Lewisham, with 73, saw more students kicked out of education during the school year.

Most worryingly for Enfield, this figure is more than double the number of pupils excluded in 2013/14, rising from 30 to 67.

The data showed 62 of the students were from secondary schools, while five were expelled from primary schools.

Of the cases where a reason was given for exclusion, 22 were for “continuous disruptive behaviour”, 12 for “assaulting fellow pupils”, and five were kicked out for verbally abusing an adult.

28 cases either had no reason given or were listed as “other”.

Students who had been given fixed period exclusions – told to stay away from schools for a set number of days – were also listed, with 2,680 pupils punished in this manner during 2014/15.

A total of 6,680 days of school were lost for these students, working out at 4.16 days per pupil.

In Haringey, 16 students were listed as excluded from secondary schools. The figures did not provide the number of pupils removed from primary schools.

Enfield Council’s cabinet member for education, Cllr Ayfer Orhan, said: "Where the behaviour of pupils falls below the very high standards we and the vast majority of our parents expect, schools and headteacher will take appropriate disciplinary action, including where necessary permanent exclusion.

"Permanent exclusion is always the option of last resort and schools will always seek to encourage better behaviour through alternative methods before taking this step in all but a tiny minority of cases.

“We make no apology for our schools having firm but fair behaviour guidelines in our schools as we believe this encourages children to learn in a safe and structured environment with clear boundaries and the knowledge of what sort of behaviour is and is not tolerated.”