Schools face 'immense strain' after record high exclusions

BRITAIN’S classrooms are at breaking point as school suspensions and exclusions soar to record highs.

- By Lucy Johnston SOCIAL AFFAIRS EDITOR

Campaigners are warning of a national scandal, with the system failing the most vulnerable pupils.

There were a staggering 295,559 suspensions and 3,107 permanent exclusions in last year's spring term alone. That equates to a 12% and 13% rise on 2023, Department for Education data shows.

One expert described the figures as “symptoms of a system under immense strain”. If trends continue, suspensions are set to top 800,000 this academic year, almost double pre-Covid, while permanent exclusions may pass 10,000. By comparison, there were 438,300 suspensions in 2018-19.

Over that same period permanent exclusions stood at 7,894, compared with 9,376 last year, a 19% increase.