New government figures reveal schools in England are getting tough on bad behaviour, with one suspending almost 17 pupils a day. The number of suspensions and permanent exclusions at state-funded secondary schools has more than doubled since the pandemic.
There were 10.7 suspensions per 100 pupils at state-funded secondaries in England during the 2018/19 academic year. That shot up to 18.9 in 2022/23 and reached 22.6 per 100 in 2023/24. The suspension rate is highest in the North East of England, with 39.7 for every 100 pupils. A total of 569,921 pupils at state-funded secondaries were suspended for persistent disruptive behaviour last year. Verbal abuse or threatening behaviour towards an adult was the next most common reason, with 174,063 suspensions. A total of 141,830 suspensions related to physical abuse against a pupil, while 62,897 were against an adult. Racist abuse accounted for 15,191 suspensions, which was up by almost a third compared to a year earlier.
You can see how many suspensions there were at each school in the country using our interactive chart:
There were also 6,479 suspensions for sexual misconduct (up 9%) and 24,554 for drug or alcohol related incidents. Suspensions can be as a result of multiple reasons, so some of these may relate to the same suspension.
Living in deprivation makes a pupil almost five-times more likely to get suspended. Pupils eligible for free school meals were suspended at a rate of 55.8 per 100 pupils at state-funded secondaries in 2023/24. That’s compared to a rate of 12.1 per 100 for those not eligible for free school meals.
A total of 3,174 suspensions were handed out at the Co-op Academy Grange in Bradford in the 2023/24 academic year, according to the latest figures from the Department for Education.
That works out as nearly 17 a day, based on a standard 190-day school year. It’s a higher number than at any other state-funded secondary school in England.
Camborne Science and International Academy in Cornwall had the next highest number with 2,976, which works out at the equivalent of 16 a day.
Skegness Academy in Lincolnshire had the third highest total with 2,819 (15 a day), followed by Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College Academy in Bradford with 2,691 (14 a day), and Outwood Academy Normanby in Redcar and Cleveland with 2,666 (also 14 a day).
Three of the five schools with the highest suspension rates in the country are located in the North East of England. Outwood Academy Normanby in Redcar and Cleveland handed out the equivalent of 348 suspensions for every 100 pupils last year, by far the highest rate in the country.
The second highest rate was at Outwood Academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, with 284 suspensions per 100 pupils. Outwood Academy Ormesby in Middlesbrough had the third highest rate with 283 per 100 pupils, followed by Skegness Academy with 276 per 100, and Outwood Academy Bishopsgarth in Stockton-on-Tees with 255 per 100.
A spokesperson for Outwood Grange Academies Trust said: “Data from the last academic year, 2024-25, shows significant reductions in suspensions and exclusions at these four schools.
“Many schools in our trust had been under-performing for years when they joined us – and that includes these four schools. Part of transforming schools like this involves tackling the poor behaviour that characterises them, so that all students attending them are safe, happy and can learn well in lessons that are not constantly disrupted.
“We don’t want to suspend or exclude any student but suspensions in schools that are being turned around are often above average. Improving these schools takes time and progress is not uniform but in general the behaviour becomes really good after a period of time.
“When that happens, suspensions and exclusions fall significantly – as is seen with all four of these schools. We are really pleased that the approaches we are taking are seeing such great results. What we all want is great behaviour and all students in our schools all the time, and we are really proud of the way the vast majority of students behave.”