Suspensions of primary school pupils in England have doubled in a decade

The rate of suspended primary school pupils in state schools in England has doubled in a decade, a BBC analysis suggests.

New data released on Thursday showed more than 37,000 suspensions in primary schools last autumn – almost the same as in all of 2012/13.

The rate of permanent exclusion of primary school-aged pupils has also risen – almost 70% over the same period – with campaigners warning that affected children could suffer long-term effects.

The government has admitted the situation is at “crisis point”, and said it has decided to “speed up standards” in schools.

Jo’s son Yakub, 10, was suspended from primary school several times before being permanently expelled for persistent disruptive behaviour. Jacob has an education, health and care plan (EHCP) following his ADHD diagnosis, and is awaiting an autism assessment.

Persistent disruptive behavior is the most common reason for suspending or expelling a student. But in primary schools, nearly 90% of those who have not been permanently enrolled in the past five years also have special educational needs and disabilities (Post).

Jo said her son was a “very caring boy” who loved rugby and playing games, but his sensory issues meant he struggled to cope with larger class sizes.

Her mother said she lives with anxiety about when the phone will ring because of other things going on at school.

Jacob’s school has provided one-to-one support and access to speech and language therapy, but Jo says there is no suitable place at school for her son to decompress.

Jo said Jacob’s day was not permanently listed as “the scariest day of my life”. He is now appealing against the school’s decision.

The school told the BBC it could not comment on Jacob’s case, but said permanent exclusions were only made in exceptional circumstances, and tried to provide support to meet the needs of students with Send.

The number of suspensions and exclusions in UK state schools has increased in recent years – except for a drop during the pandemic when most children were educated at home – reached its highest level since 2006.

The majority of suspensions and exclusions – about nine out of 10 – occur in secondary school, but the number is also rising among primary-aged children.

BBC News has analyzed Department for Education data on annual suspension rates over a 10-year period, from 2012/13 to 2022/23.

There will be 84,300 suspensions in primary schools in 2022/23 – a rate of 180 per 10,000 pupils. It has doubled in 10 years.

The permanent exclusion rate is lower, at 2.6 per 10,000 pupils – but it has also risen by almost 70% over the same period.

Students who are suspended must be absent from school for a fixed period of time up to a maximum of 45 days in the school year, while those who are excluded are removed from school.

After being excluded, Jacob began attending the pupil referral unit at Perryfields Primary in Worcester. Jo says her son is making progress now, and she’s optimistic about his transition to high school next year.

Perryfields has 24 places for primary aged children.

It also offers training, behavior and Post support, to more than 100 schools in South Worcestershire.

Head teacher Pete Hines has seen many young children come through his doors in his 20 years of experience.

“The complexity of the needs of the children I saw at that time was overwhelming,” he said.

Most of the children at Perryfields are on short-term placements, and remain connected to their main primary school by wearing their school uniform, and often return to their old school in the evening.

Mr Hines said a successful referral unit “must be an intervention, not a destination” and that one of the most important things is to see “a happy child…

Vanessa Longley, chief executive of children’s charity Chance UK, said exclusions could follow children beyond school age. The study suggests 90% of which are excluded in primary school did not pass GCSE English and maths.

“These are the children who are most affected by Covid, but they also lack early diagnosis and intervention for the problems they face,” he said.

He asked the government to allocate money for early intervention in primary schools.

Lydia said her six-year-old son, Eddie, has been suspended from elementary school 14 times since January.

He said the incident – which included assaulting staff – was linked to his autism, which he had recently been diagnosed with.

He said his self-esteem was “really affected” by the suspension: “At that age you don’t know, you just think you’re bad.”

Eddie has moved to another, smaller school, while Lydia applied for EHCP for him.

Former children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, admitted that the pressure schools are under – new research suggests a third of children start primary school. not “ready for school” – but said not including primary age children should be the last resort.

Ms Longfield said a “culture of exclusion” over the last decade had been driven by an “emphasis on academic achievements and degrees”.

To reduce suspension and exclusion rates, he believes the focus should be on other interventions, such as one-to-one tutoring where necessary.

Schools in the UK could soon be judged on their involvement and how well they support vulnerable children, under changes to inspections. which Ofsted will ask at the beginning of next year.

Education Minister Stephen Morgan told the BBC that the government had invested £1 billion in Send and provided access to specialist mental health professionals in every school.

He said: “We know more needs to be done, and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and raise standards for all children.”

Data analysis by Rebecca Wedge-Roberts