A headteacher has suspended a record number of violent and disruptive pupils as part of moves to make his school a safer place.

Fixed-term exclusions at Oxford School, in Glanville Road, east Oxford, have risen by 50 per cent as part of a new 'get-tough' campaign by its principal, Ian Johnson.

Mr Johnson has warned students that the school will no longer tolerate bullying, violence, swearing at staff and smoking.

There have been 62 exclusions, ranging from one to eight days, since September - the highest level since Mr Johnson took over as principal of the 600-pupil school four years ago.

Pupils now face being excluded for one day for smoking, or for up to three days for swearing at a teacher. Despite the high number of suspensions, there has only been one expulsion, which was for a serious assault outside school premises.

Mr Johnson: "I decided from the start of the year that we needed to make it clear what is and isn't acceptable. And it has worked.

"We are nipping disruptive behaviour in the bud. We have youngsters here with amazing potential and they need our support to realise it, while others need our support to help learn right from wrong.

"Every student has the right to come to school and feel safe and able to learn.

"Any student involved in violence, serious bullying or swearing at staff gets a fixed-term exclusion, which is a powerful deterrent."

His comments follow an announcement by Education Secretary Estelle Morris that schools will be given new powers to permanently exclude bullies and pupils who carry weapons, following mounting concerns over violence in the classroom.

Next week, the Government is expected to unveil new guidelines allowing schools to send violent pupils to special units, rather than admitting them back into class.

The secretary of the Oxfordshire Branch of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Mark Forder, supported Oxford School's crackdown on violent and disruptive behaviour.

He said: "Each school, from time to time, should review its behaviour policy and see that measures for dealing with difficult pupils are effective. In some cases, exclusion may well be the most appropriate course of action."

Mr Johnson's initiative has been welcomed by parents and other Oxford headteachers.

Adina Henson, from Cunliffe Close, north Oxford, whose 14-year-old daughter Erica is a pupil at Oxford School, said: "I'm extremely pleased with what Ian Johnson is doing and am right behind him. Schools are there for learning, and if children don't want to learn, they should be set aside and dealt with outside the classroom.

"I hope parents of good students who want their children to excel are behind what he is doing."

Colin Peach, from William Street, New Marston, Oxford, whose 14-year-old son Roy is also a pupil, said: "I think it's good to exclude disruptive pupils. You've got to be firm and do something positive"