According to the study, they are also more likely than those who are not suspended to pursue additional or higher education.
The research says that young people who experience at least one suspension during their secondary school years in England are twice as likely as their peers to be out of school, training, or employment by the age of 24.
As the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank analysis shows, they are less likely than their peers who were not suspended to achieve level three qualifications, such as A-level, and pursue further higher education.
It was discovered that the negative trend continues as they get older: by the age of 24, they were 2.5 times as likely to receive unemployment benefits and three times as likely to receive health-related benefits.
According to official records released last month, the number of school suspensions in England has surged significantly. A record of 787,000 suspensions were issued in 2022-20223 due to a rise in behavior problems after the pandemic.
In the latest report commissioned by the youth education charity Impetus, students who have been suspended ten times or more have results that are just poorer or worse than those children who are expelled from school.
The EPI research tracked 576,000 students who began year 7 in 2006 through public secondary school, documenting their use of state welfare until their mid-20s. In secondary school, 16% of students experienced at least one suspension.
The EPI stated that its results demonstrated a “strong association” rather than a conclusive causal relationship, although it also acknowledged the limitations of its findings. However, the study’s findings indicated that the students’ GSCE performance plays a significant role in the association between suspension and results.
It stated, “The link between suspension and outcomes in adulthood may be indirect, as suspended pupils have lower GCSE grades on average, which may in turn limit access to further education opportunities.”
The EPI results were released two days before the students in Wales, England, and Northern Ireland were due to receive their GSCE results. A-level results released last week revealed a rise in regional differences and an increase in top results.
Allen Joseph, an early years, wellbeing, and inequalities researcher, stated, “Our latest analysis shows that pupils who are suspended during secondary school are not only less likely to achieve good grades at GCSE but also tend to have poorer education, occupation, and health outcomes in adult life.
“Given these poor individual-level outcomes and wider societal costs, it is imperative that schools, colleges and wider services are adequately resourced to address the circumstances and respond to the behaviour that resulted in the suspension.”
According to Pepe Di’Iasio, the Association of School and College Leaders general secretary, “No school ever wishes to suspend a pupil, and it is a measure taken only as a last resort. The new government must provide the necessary support to schools to address behavioural problems before they reach this critical point.”
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, also stated, “Schools work hard to support pupils, only using suspensions and exclusions where necessary for the safety and wellbeing of all children, but they cannot do this alone.
“Vital services like children’s social care, child and adolescent mental health services and specialist behaviour support teams which enable schools to access specialist help need to be rebuilt, and the crisis in special educational needs provision must be tackled.”
