HEADTEACHERS at secondary schools across Oxfordshire are getting tough on pupils who smoke by excluding them from classes.

They spoke out about their zero tolerance approach on lighting up after the figures for exclusions at county schools during the past year were revealed - showing all but three of the 34 secondaries had suspended or expelled students.

There were 179 fixed-term exclusions and four permanent exclusions during the 2005-06 school year, a slight drop on the previous year.

Eight fixed-term exclusions were made at Bartholomew School in Eynsham, seven of them one-day penalties for smoking cigarettes. The other was a pupil caught smoking cannabis.

Headteacher Andrew Hamilton said it was the first year it had decided to exclude for smoking.

He added: "Last year we had a spate of fairly blatant on-site smoking and and we went through all the nicer processes first and then decided to take a harder line.

"Some schools do not exclude for smoking, whereas we do not have many other problems, and when we do not want one to start, we take a more draconian line."

Wheatley Park School has also started to exclude pupils for smoking. Eleven of its 12 one-day exclusions were for smoking.

The other, for three days, was for cannabis smoking.

But Labour councillor Susanna Pressel urged headteachers only to exclude pupils as a last resort because senior police officers have told her that some children turned to crime on the days they were excluded.

"The last thing these pupils need is to miss school," she said. "They should be given detention and taught about the health risks of smoking."

The majority of the 179 exclusions were made after incidents relating to alcohol and cannabis.

At Henry Box School in Witney, 11 fixed term suspensions were made.

Headteacher Rod Walker said one pupil was given a five-day exclusion for smuggling vodka into school in a drinks bottle and five others who drank it were given three-day exclusions.

Mr Walker said: "In common with all Oxfordshire schools we take a hard line on drug or alcohol misuse."

Cooper School, in Bicester, has had 17 exclusions this year, the highest number out of all Oxfordshire schools.

Assistant headteacher Rob Hiscock said: "We have a zero tolerance policy and so just because we have the highest number of exclusions does not necessarily mean we have the worst behaved pupils.

"We take very seriously that we have a duty of care for every student in this school and we will not allow them to use banned substances at school or on the way to or from school.

"Banned substances include cigarettes, alcohol and drugs."

Larkmead School in Abingdon made nine exclusions - six of which were one day for smoking cigarettes. The other three were for five days as one pupil brought cannabis into school and two others handled the drug.

Headteacher Chris Harris said: "We have very little trouble with drugs and alcohol as a school. The six students caught smoking were on a school trip to France."

In 2004/5, there were 208 fixed term and five permanent.

John Mitchell, Oxfordshire County Council's spokesman for Children, Young People and Families, said a high number of exclusions did not necessarily indicate that a school had a significant problem with drugs and alcohol.

He said: "Relatively high levels of exclusion will often simply reflect schools' different approaches to such matters."