Suspension rates in English schools climbed above the levels seen before the pandemic last autumn, though permanent exclusions remain lower.
There were 183,817 suspensions across all schools in the autumn term of 2021, which is higher than the 159,979 seen for the same term the year before during the pandemic, and the 178,412 seen in 2019 before the pandemic led to the first school closures.
This is the highest number of suspensions in a single term since at least 2016, but the Department for Education says that nearly half (47 per cent) were for one day or less, and 99 per cent were for one week or less.
The figures come from DfE data on exclusions and suspensions in the autumn of 2021, which have been published today.
Permanent exclusions hit 2,097 last autumn, which is up on the 1,737 seen in autumn 2020, but far lower than the 3,167 seen in the last autumn before the pandemic, in 2019.
Overall, the rate of permanent exclusions last autumn was 0.03, which is equivalent to 3 permanent exclusions for every 10,000 pupils, while the suspension rate was 2.21.
Persistent disruptive behaviour was the most common reason for both courses of action - included as a reason in 41 per cent of all suspensions and 31 per cent of all permanent exclusions.
A permanent exclusion refers to a pupil who is told to leave a school and won’t come back, whereas a suspension means a pupil is told not to come to school for a set period of time.
During Covid, exclusions and suspensions were possible, but the DfE has cautioned that pandemic restrictions will have “had an impact on the numbers presented”.
In keeping with previous years, boys have a far higher permanent exclusion rate than girls, with permanent exclusion rates of 0.04 and 0.01 respectively, while the suspension rate for male pupils is almost double that for female pupils.
With regards to free school meal (FSM) eligibility, the suspension rate for FSM-eligible pupils is nearly four times that for non-FSM-eligible pupils, and the permanent exclusion rate for FSM-eligible pupils is 0.07, compared to 0.01 without.
And for pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), the highest rate of suspensions is among those pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) at 6.37, followed by those with SEND without an EHCP at 6.31. This compares to 1.44 for pupils with no SEN.
