THE number of suspensions or permanent exclusions from schools in the area covered by Essex County Council has increased by almost 60 per cent in two years.

Government figures show that between the academic years 2021/2022 and 2023/2024, the total number of students in Essex who were either suspended or excluded increased from 15,220 to 24,039. The number of exclusions went from 99 to 191, and the suspensions from 15,121 to 23,848 – an increase of 64 per cent in two years.

The county council has said the reasons for suspensions and permanent exclusions are varied, and there is no single factor that explains why a child or young person may be excluded from school. It comes as the government looks to change the rules on punishment for bad behaviour, meaning suspensions should be used only in the most serious cases. It means headteachers will be given new guidance to ensure pupils facing suspension for non-violent behaviour continue learning in a separate, supervised setting.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Time out of school doesn’t just disrupt learning – it can have a huge impact on a young person’s life chances. Suspensions will always play a critical role in helping heads manage poor behaviour, but time at home today can too easily mean children retreating to social media, gaming and the online world instead of serving their punishment.

“That has devalued suspensions and led to high levels of lost learning. We want to restore suspensions as the serious sanction they should be, while keeping young people engaged in their education and reducing the time teachers spend helping pupils catch up.”

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “The reasons for suspensions and permanent exclusions are varied, and there is no single factor that explains why a child or young person may be excluded from school. Headteachers have the authority to issue a fixed-term suspension or a permanent exclusion when a pupil’s behaviour breaches the school’s behaviour policy and when allowing the pupil to remain in school could seriously harm their own welfare or the welfare of others.

“This approach is in line with statutory Department for Education guidance, which states that any exclusion must be lawful, reasonable, fair, proportionate, and used only as a last resort when other behaviour management strategies have been exhausted. Essex County Council remains committed to supporting schools to create safe, calm and inclusive environments so that all children can learn and thrive.”

Categories:

 Education

Authorities:

 Essex County Council