SEXUAL misconduct is rife in Derbyshire schools compared to other counties, according to latest statistics.
In total, 157 pupils in the county were excluded over the past three years in the county for offences such as sexual abuse and watching pornography in class.
Of the 42 major England councils that provided stats, Derbyshire had the worst record.
The vague term "sexual misconduct" is used to describe incidents from graffiti in the school toilets to more serious offending, including sending sexually explicit phone messages to other pupils.
National data shows pupils as young as five have been excluded, while the number of boys involved in sexual misconduct outnumbered girls by 10-1.
Child welfare charities and politicians described the figures as "extremely concerning" and called on councils to do more to tackle the issue.
Derbyshire County Council said it was already working hard to address the problem.
A spokesman said: "We support schools with their work to prevent incidents, and to learn from any that happen so they can safeguard against them.
"Our ongoing work to reduce the number of fixed-term exclusions includes measures to prevent and deal effectively with any problems of this nature.
"We also run our anti-bullying 'stop!' campaign with schools, and restorative justice programmes so students understand the consequences of their actions."
Records obtained by the Press Association showed hundreds of pupils have been banned from class for a raft of offences classed as "sexual misconduct", including assault, harassment and bullying. Others have been excluded for inappropriate touching, lewd behaviour and sexual graffiti.
Some children were disciplined within their first year at school, while ages 13, 14 and 15 were sanctioned the most.
Jon Brown, head of tackling child sexual abuse at the NSPCC, said the extent of inappropriate sexual behaviour by children was "extremely concerning".
"We need good quality, age appropriate education in schools to help young people develop healthy, positive relationships with each other," he said.
