The number of pupils suspended from school has reached a record high as experts warn that bad behaviour has increased as a result of lockdown school closures. The Telegraph has more.
Data from the Department for Education (DfE) found that there were 263,904 suspensions in the spring term during the 2022-23 academic year, an increase from 201,090 during the period the year before.
In the same term, there were 3,039 permanent exclusions, an increase from 2,179.
Academics warned that the “deeply concerning” increase was a result of pupils losing the habit of going to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A spokesman for the DfE said: “The most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions was persistent disruptive behaviour. This is in line with previous terms and years where this reason was the most commonly recorded.
“Suspensions are typically higher in autumn term than in spring and summer, so spring 2022-23 is a change from that trend and the highest recorded number of termly suspensions.”
The figures showed a 31% increase in suspensions compared to the previous year, the highest outside of Covid restrictions.
The rise was particularly high among secondary children, with cases increasing from 174,522 to 232,635 – a 33% jump and the equivalent of one in 16 pupils.
Prof. Alan Smithers, Director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, said: “The huge increases in suspensions and exclusions from school for disruptive behaviour is deeply concerning.
“It seems that far too many pupils lost the habit of regularly attending school during the pandemic and on being forced to return are taking it out on the teachers.
“Being thrown out of school not only harms the learning and future prospects of the pupils themselves, but also the behaviour leading to these drastic steps lowers the quality of education of other pupils.
“Disruptive pupil behaviour is the major reason given by teachers for quitting the profession. The Government must urgently address the decline in pupil behaviour.”
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