Students in less privileged areas are significantly more likely to be sent away than those in wealthier places.
According to an analysis by the Guardian, more than 25% of students at 50 secondary schools in England were suspended after the pandemic, with disadvantaged students more likely to face suspension than students at wealthier schools.
Since schools were closed to a large number of students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of school suspensions has risen sharply. Since schools have reopened, teachers have struggled with declining student behavior.
According to Department of Education (DfE) data, the number of secondary schools that sent away 25% of their students increased to 50% in 2022-2023, double the 24 that did so in 2018-19.
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Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), Northern Education Trust, and Dixons Academies Trust each oversee three of the fifty schools.
In 2022-2023, Dixons Croxtecth Academy in Liverpool, Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, and Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth in Stockton-on Tees were the three schools with more than 37% of their students suspended.
Luke Sparkes, chief executive of Dixons Academies Trust, stated that his trust exclusively worked on schools in less privileged communities with severe problems dating back years.
Sparkes stated, “When we arrive in these schools, they are very often characterised by bad behaviour – bullying, behaviour that puts other children and staff in danger, and constant disruption of lessons which means children who want to learn are stopped from doing well.”
“We never want to suspend or exclude any student. But we also can’t accept situations where children are in danger, are unhappy or can’t learn. Our behaviour policies are clear and we apply sanctions consistently and fairly – everyone knows where they stand, and everyone receives high-quality support to achieve the expectations we set.”
According to Lee Wilson, the chief of OGAT, which operates throughout the north of England and the Midlands, the trust includes schools in high-deprivation areas that face various difficulties.
Wilson stated, “These schools have been transformed by OGAT. They now provide students with a great education and the best opportunities to lead successful lives. Our institutions have never been so popular with parents, and the local government has expanded several of them so they can accommodate even more students.”
“Trusts like ours – and there are many – are working hard to get these schools to the best possible place and to support all students, in particular younger ones who joined secondary school at such a disjointed time, to achieve what we know they can so they can lead successful lives.”
The DfE’s national data for 2022-2023 discovered that a record 257,000 students went away for at least part of the school day after receiving one of the 787,000 suspensions granted throughout the academic year.
The DfE stated, “There will always be a need for suspensions as a last resort, and we back headteachers to make those decisions whilst we work in tandem to tackle the causes of poor behavior to prevent suspensions.”
The average percentage of students suspended in each secondary school was 7%. The rate was higher in some parts of the nation. For instance, Middlesbrough and Stoke-on-Trent had rates twice the national average, with 14% of their students suspended over the school year.
Suspension was also higher in schools serving the most disadvantageous communities across England. In 2022-2023, secondary schools in the top five categories in terms of free schools suspended 11.5% of students at once, compared to the 3.4% of students at schools with the fewest children on free school meals.
According to Tom Bennett, an expert on student behavior who advises the Department of Education, it was not remarkable that certain schools suspend students at higher rates than others, as there was the right level of suspension.
Bennett stated, “Obviously averages are just that, and some will be above, some will be below. Schools that serve more disadvantaged communities will almost by definition use disciplinary methods more frequently.”
“Suspending might actually be the right thing to do. What are the school outcomes? Are kids doing well? Maybe the suspensions keep them safe. Suspensions are not a good or bad thing intrinsically, they are a strategy.”
Rates of suspension for individual schools vary widely because of different policies, enforcement of behavior codes, or whether other schools use internal exclusions.
Since the pandemic, 45% of students had higher suspension rates in 2022-2023 than in 2019- 2020. Six OGAT academies had the most decreases.
