CHILDREN as young as four are being expelled from school for violent and sexual behaviour, said a British watchdog for children's welfare.

A newly-released Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) report said schools resort to this as they faced inadequate support from local authorities in some cases, or could not afford proper programmes.

Its report was based on survey of 69 schools across United Kingdom, reported the Daily Mail.

Of these, more than one in five primary schools has raised the alarm over pupils' conduct.

Reasons for exclusion included biting, chair-throwing and inappropriate sexual behaviour, said the Times of London.

Mr Mick Brookes, the National Association of Head teachers general secretary, said: 'Some of it could be innocent childish behaviour, but there are some quite worrying things going on.'

The report seems to suggest that some schools are struggling to cope with the disturbing behaviour of children from complex backgrounds, said the newspaper.

Some of the children had been exposed to domestic violence, sexual abuse, poverty or a parent's illness. One boy had seen his mother killed in a refugee camp.

The report also criticised the government for not collecting enough data on exclusions, resulting in what it called an 'incomplete picture' of what has been happening to children aged 7and under.

Early intervention, and strategies such as 'nurture groups' (small supportive groups) were highly effective, but schools often could not afford to put these in place. Those that managed to reduce the number of exclusions had all taken a strong line on low-level disruptive behaviour.

The report said: 'What determined a school's rate of exclusion was not its social context but the combination of its philosophy, capacity to meet challenges and, sometimes, the response received from its local authority and outside agencies when they were asked to help.'

It added: 'Relationships with parents were pivotal in preventing or reducing exclusions.'

Ofsted's chief inspector Christine Gilbert said:'As our evidence shows, many schools are skilled at promoting positive behaviour and attitudes in all young children, and giving them a good start to their education. It is important that others can learn from this best practice.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.