School suspensions have shot up nationwide, alarming new data shows - but rates are much higher in some parts of the country than others.
The Department for Education has this month released updated figures on suspensions and exclusions from England’s state schools, covering the full 2023/24 school year. They showed a total of 954,952 suspensions overall, up a whopping 21% from 786,961 during the previous school year. Permanent exclusions were up too, with 10,885 total over the academic year - up 16% from 9,376 from 2022/23.
The bulk of children suspended were secondary school pupils, with some of the most common reasons being persistent disruptive behaviour (569,921 suspensions), verbally abusing or threatening an adult (174,063), physical assault against another pupil (141,830), and physical assault against an adult (62,897).
As well their impact on fellow learners and school staff, the children being frequently suspended from school risk missing out. In the 2023/24 school year, over 100,000 pupils lost more than a week of classtime, while 48,500 missed more than two. It can have a big impact on their education, with research by children’s charity Chance UK showing 90% of children excluded at primary school won’t go on to pass GCSE English or maths, the BBC reports.
We’ve taken a look at the local authority areas with the highest proportion of their total secondary school-aged student body that received at least one suspension during the 2023/24 school year, so that families can get some idea of just how serious an issue this is in their community.
However, it is worth remembering that the root causes behind suspension rates can be complex. Children eligible for free school meals and those receiving special educational needs support were both suspended at much higher rates than their peers, the data showed, hinting at deeper societal issues at play. And as parents can probably imagine, individual schools’ approaches to discipline can also be very different.
With that in mind, here were the 21 English districts with the highest rates of pupils getting suspended from school:
1. Hastings
The Hastings borough, in East Sussex, had the highest rate of suspensions in the 2023/24 school year. Of its 3,736 pupils spread across three state secondary schools, 986 of them had been suspended at least once – or 26.4% of the student body. | Ian Woolcock/Adobe Stock
2. Harlow
The Harlow district, in Essex, was second. Of its 6,048 pupils spread across seven state secondary schools, 1,010 of them had been suspended at least once – or about 16.7% of the student body. | Air Video UK/Adobe Stock
3. Boston
Boston, in the East Midlands’ Lincolnshire, came in third place. Of its 4,431 pupils spread across five state secondary schools, 725 of them had been suspended at least once – or about 16.4% of the student body. | Dario Ricardo/Adobe Stock
4. Hartlepool
Hartlepool, up in the North East, was next. Of its 5,870 pupils spread across five state secondary schools, 896 of them had been suspended at least once – or about 15.3% of the student body. | Chris Maddison/Adobe Stock