Number of school suspensions in England has nearly doubled after pandemic

There were 346,279 suspensions in the autumn term of 2023/24 across state schools, compared to 247,366 during the autumn term of 2022/23 – a rise of 40%, according to Department for Education (DfE) data.

The number of suspensions in autumn 2023 has nearly doubled since autumn 2019 – an increase of 94% – when there were 178,412 suspensions recorded.

The rise in suspensions (when a pupil is excluded from a school for a set period of time) comes amid warnings of challenging behaviour in classrooms following the pandemic.

The rate at which pupils are being suspended from schools was 4.13 in autumn 2023 – which is equivalent to 413 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils.

This is up on 2.96 in autumn 2022 and almost double the pre-pandemic rate of 2.17.

The DfE said “there are more pupils being suspended, and more frequently” and the total number of days pupils are suspended for is “increasing”.

The number of permanent exclusions also increased in autumn last year.

There were 4,168 permanent exclusions in the autumn term of 2023, compared to 3,104 in autumn 2022 – a rise of 34%, the figures show.

The most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions was persistent disruptive behaviour, the DfE said.

In state secondary schools there were 300,300 suspensions in autumn 2023, compared to 214,078 in the autumn term of 2022.

The number of suspensions in secondary schools in England has more than doubled since autumn 2019 – when there were 143,006 recorded.

In state primary schools there were 37,695 suspensions in the 2023 autumn term, up on 26,774 in autumn 2022 and 29,113 in autumn 2019.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “There is clearly a very serious problem facing schools with rising incidents of challenging behaviour and in particular persistent disruptive behaviour, which is the most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions.

“This has become a great deal worse since the pandemic, where many children experienced disruption to their education and isolation that are continuing to have a lasting impact.

“In many cases, schools simply do not have the resources to provide the level of specialist support required to prevent behavioural issues from escalating and so we see this ending up with suspensions and permanent exclusions being used as a last resort.”

He added: “The whole system is teetering on the brink of collapse and the Government must show urgency in addressing these problems.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), said: “Schools want children to be in the classroom and use suspensions and exclusions as a last resort for the safety and wellbeing of all pupils.

“School leaders and teachers recognise that poor or disruptive behaviour may often have its roots in challenges facing families, with parents having faced everything from a cost of living crisis to a pandemic in recent years.

“While schools do their best to help pupils, they alone are not equipped to address these issues – but vital services like social care, children’s mental health and special educational needs provision have been cut or failed to keep pace with demand over the last decade.

“More investment in community support is needed, including the behaviour support teams which used to offer specialist help to young people but now need rebuilding.”

Beth Prescott, education lead at the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), said: “Today’s shocking exclusion figures once again highlight the crisis facing our children and schools.”

She added: “More than ever we need the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to re-engage children in their education, support struggling families and equip schools to meet these rising levels of need.

“We also need parents to step up to the mark and help their kids make the most of school.”

Education minister Stephen Morgan said: “The surge in suspensions and permanent exclusions was left to spiral out of control shamefully by the previous Conservative government, leading to countless days of lost learning and devastating children’s life chances.

“We have reached crisis point, but this government is determined to turn the tide on poor behaviour, break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

“We’ve already announced a significant £1 billion investment in Send, committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, and our new regional improvement teams will work with schools to spread the highest standards of behaviour across our classrooms.

“But we know there is more to do, and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and drive up standards for all our children.”