Pupil suspensions and exclusions ‘will rise by a fifth’

Thirty-two million days of learning in England were lost through suspensions and unauthorised absences in 2022/23, analysis suggests.

(Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Pupil suspensions and exclusions in England are predicted to have risen by more than a fifth in the past year, a report has found.

The “alarming” numbers of children losing learning since the pandemic must be addressed, according to a paper by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank and education charity The Difference.

The research explores an “exclusions continuum” to identify the formal ways children miss school – like absences and suspensions – as well as other types of lost learning “currently invisible” in official data.

Up to the Easter holidays in the 2023/24 academic year, researchers estimate there was a rise of more than 20% in suspensions and exclusions compared with the same period in the previous year.

The most vulnerable children are being let down and we’re concerned this will become an endemic problem for society as well as the potential damage it could do to the prospects for young people

Efua Poku-Amanfo, IPPR research fellow

It comes after the latest Government figures showed the number of suspensions – when a pupil is excluded from a school for a set period of time – reached a record in England in 2022/23.

The latest analysis from the IPPR and The Difference suggests 32 million days of learning were lost through suspensions and unauthorised absences in the 2022/23 academic year, up from 19 million days in 2018/19 – the last full school year before the pandemic.

Education leaders have warned of challenging behaviour in classrooms and an attendance crisis after Covid-19.

Children from low-income backgrounds, with special educational needs and those with mental health issues are the most likely to miss learning, the report found.

A new “Who’s Losing Learning Solutions Council” will set out how the education sector should respond to the challenge after hearing evidence from school leaders, parents and relevant organisations.

Kiran Gill, IPPR associate fellow and chief executive of The Difference, said: “The past four years, post-pandemic, have seen an alarming rise in children losing learning.

“We should all be worried about the social injustice that the most marginalised children – who already have the biggest barriers to opportunity outside of school – are those most likely to be not in classrooms through absence, suspension and exclusion.”

Young people have one chance at a good education and if we are to improve their attainment and their life opportunities, we must reduce exclusions of all kinds

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of ASCL

Efua Poku-Amanfo, IPPR research fellow, said: “Thousands of children across the country are losing out on learning – and it’s rising.

“The most vulnerable children are being let down and we’re concerned this will become an endemic problem for society as well as the potential damage it could do to the prospects for young people.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and chairman of the Who’s Losing Learning Solutions Council, said: “This sobering report on school exclusions suggests we have lost sight of what we should care about most: the wellbeing and success of those children who experience hardship of one form or another.

“For too long as a system we’ve considered the needs of these young people last rather than first. Young people have one chance at a good education and if we are to improve their attainment and their life opportunities, we must reduce exclusions of all kinds.”

Department for Education (DfE) data published in July showed there were 786,961 suspensions in the 2022/23 academic year in England, compared with 578,280 in 2021/22 – a rise of 36%.

Overall, there were 9,376 permanent exclusions in 2022/23, compared with 6,495 the year before – a rise of 44%, the figures showed.

A DfE spokesperson said: “The rising number of school suspensions and permanent exclusions are shocking, and show the massive scale of disruptive behaviour that has developed in schools across the country in recent years, harming the life chances of children.

“We are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour; we’ve already committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.

“But we know poor behaviour can also be rooted in wider issues, which is why the Government is developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty led by a taskforce co-chaired by the Education Secretary so that we can break down the barriers to opportunity.”