The city is the joint second worst in the UK and figures show 67 pupils were excluded from the district's secondary schools during the academic year until July 2007 for sexual misconduct.

This includes such things as sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, lewd behaviour, sexual bullying and sexual graffiti.

Statistics place Wakefield joint second with Surrey, and behind only Sheffield, where 75 pupils were sent home for similar offences.

The figures were taken from a Freedom of Information request, which 64 of the country's 150 local authorities responded to.

Paul Makin, Wakefield Council's interim service director for schools and lifelong learning, said: "We always take any allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously and ensure that matters are investigated in line with the school's policies and procedures."

Figures from the department for children, schools and families (DCSF) give a lower figure of 32 exclusions in Wakefield's secondary schools for the same offences.

It puts the national figure at 3,080 last year.

A spokesman for the DCSF said the Freedom of Information figures could include pupil referral units or other schools not included in DCSF figures.

He said fluctuations in pupil numbers in different local authorities also made comparisons difficult.

Nadeem Ahmed, Wakefield Conservative group's education spokesman, said: "This information is very worrying for parents as they want to know children are safe at school.

"It is worrying for teachers as well and there needs to be some kind of strategic review to see if more measures like exclusions can help."