Why are so many schools and colleges suspending pupils?
Figures published by the Department for Education on 10 July 2025 show another year-on-year increase in the number of suspensions and exclusions in England’s schools.
In the 2023/24 academic year, maintained schools (primary, secondary and special) issued a total of 954,952 suspensions – a 21% increase compared to 2022/23. Further, although the majority of suspensions continue to be issued in secondary schools, 2023/24 saw a total of 104,803 suspensions issued in primary schools.
It is a similar story with permanent exclusions; in 2023/24, 10,885 permanent exclusions were issued to pupils in maintained schools – a 16% increase – with 1,462 permanent exclusions issued to primary school pupils.
This represents the highest number of suspensions and permanent exclusions issued in a single academic year since the current record-keeping systems were introduced in 2006.
There are, of course, more pupils in the classroom now than there were in previous years (pupil numbers have been increasing by approximately 3% since 2018/19) but this alone does not explain the higher levels of suspensions and exclusions. In fact, the data indicates that suspensions and exclusions are being issued at a higher rate now even adjusting for the higher number of pupils overall.
When we consider the rates of both disciplinary actions (i.e. the number of suspensions or exclusions issued per 100 pupils), the figures show a notable increase; in 2023/24 there were 11.31 suspensions for each 100 pupils (up from 9.33 in 2022/23 and 6.91 in 2021/22) and there were 0.13 exclusions for each 100 pupils (up from 0.11 in 2022/23 and 0.08 in 2021/22). Once again, both figures for 2023/24 represent the highest levels since current record-keeping arrangements began.
So if the rise in such significant disciplinary measures is not simply explained by more pupils in the classroom, what is behind it? And what does it tell us about the challenges being faced in schools and colleges by staff and pupils?
Why are pupils being suspended or excluded?
When submitting records of a pupil’s suspension or permanent exclusion, schools can provide up to three reasons for their decision, with no weighting or prioritisation. Alongside the above figures, the Department for Education provides an overview of the reasons given for the suspensions and permanent exclusions issued in the 2023/24 academic year.
These figures show that 51% of suspensions, and 39% of permanent exclusions, were given for “persistent disruptive behaviour”. In both cases, this is the most common reason provided by schools. Although this was also the case in previous years, however, when you consider reasons given for both suspensions and exclusions between 2020/21 and 2023/24, “persistent disruptive behaviour” is one of only two reasons that has increased noticeably year-on-year. For example, in 2020/21, “persistent disruptive behaviour was a reason listed in 36.16% of all suspensions and 29.65% of all permanent exclusions. In 2023/24, it accounts for 50.78% of suspensions and 39.17% of all exclusions. The only other reason with a comparable rate of increase is “physical assault against an adult”, which was given as a reason for 12.49% of permanent exclusions in 2023/24, compared to 11.04% in 2020/21.
Some groups are disproportionately affected
The Department for Education’s statistics show that suspensions and exclusions are not being issued at the same frequency for all pupils and that some groups are disproportionately affected.
There is a noticeable difference between the rate of suspensions and exclusions issued to pupils based on sex, with 13.93 suspensions and 0.18 exclusions issued per 100 male pupils in 2023/24, compared to 8.35 suspensions and 0.08 exclusions issued per 100 female pupils in the same year.
There is also a noticeable difference for pupils eligible for Free School Meals (FSM); in 2023/24, there were 27.55 suspensions and 0.33 exclusions issued per 100 pupils eligible for FSM, compared to 5.99 suspensions and 0.06 exclusions per 100 pupils not eligible for FSM.
Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) – both those receiving SEN support in schools, and pupils in receipt of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – are also disproportionately impacted. For each 100 children in schools with no registered SEN, there were 7.55 suspensions issued and 0.08 permanent exclusions, but for pupils with SEN, there were 28.44 suspensions and 0.37 permanent exclusions issued. Put another way, although pupils with SEN made up only 18% of all children in maintained English schools in 2023/24, they received 45.27% of all suspensions that were issued, and 52.21% of all permanent exclusions. Perhaps most shockingly, pupils with SEN received 88% of all permanent exclusions issued to primary school pupils in 2023/24.
Impact on SEN pupils
Research published by charity Chance UK (a London based charity supporting families of excluded pupils) illustrates some of the longer-term impacts faced by children who are permanently excluded from school. As well as missing out on vital education, the charity found that 90% of pupils excluded at primary school fail to pass GCSE English and Maths exams.
For pupils with SEN, the impact can be even greater; missed education also means missed opportunities to build social skills and relationships with peers, missed opportunities to develop their independence skills, increased isolation and, for some, escalating challenging behaviour.
These latest statistics give further, worrying insight into the challenges that have been discussed anecdotally for some time now; challenges like pupils with high levels of need being placed inappropriately (and potentially unlawfully) in schools that are not equipped to meet their needs, and who are already overstretched by growing pupil numbers and reduced resources. With an SEN system creaking under its own weight, there seems little sign that things are improving. In fact, things are getting worse.
How can schools address this?
With limited resources, it is not unusual for schools to find themselves in a challenging position of balancing its duties to SEN pupils with the need to safeguard its staff and other pupils. This can be particularly acute where a school is named in Section I of a pupil’s EHCP, meaning it has a legal duty under the Children and Families Act 2014 to admit the pupil even if it becomes clear that it is not the right setting for them.
There are, however, steps that all schools can and should be taking to help them achieve this balance, and act in accordance with its legal standards and expectations.
Schools that are considering suspending or excluding a pupil must weigh up all relevant and essential considerations before reaching a decision. Statutory guidance on suspensions and exclusions requires headteachers to consider certain factors before issuing any decision to suspend or exclude a pupil, including:
- The particular needs of the pupil in question;
- Whether there are appropriate preventative measures that could be taken instead of a suspension or exclusion (e.g. off-site direction); and
- National trends regarding exclusion rates regarding rates of suspensions and exclusions in England (including all of those set out above).
These considerations are particularly important for pupils with SEN. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils, as well as a general duty not to discriminate against pupils on the basis of their disability (which can be direct or indirect, for example applying a strict behaviour or disciplinary policy to all pupils without consideration of how a specific pupil’s behaviour may be impacted by their SEN).
Also, ensure you refer to, and act in accordance with, the Department for Education’s statutory guidance for maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units on suspension and permanent exclusions. The guidance sets clear expectations that will help schools ensure compliance with their legal duties. For example, the guidance specifically states that where a school has concerns about the behaviour of a pupil with SEN, a disability or an EHCP, it must first assess the suitability of the provision currently in place for that pupil and work collaboratively with other bodies (including, where relevant, the local authority) to consider what additional support might be required to avoid a suspension or exclusion. For pupils with an EHCP the first step should be to call an emergency review meeting, so that this conversation can take place.
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