Nottinghamshire district among 21 areas with the highest rates of suspended secondary school pupils in England
The area in Nottinghamshire ranks 19th in England for school suspensions, highlighting regional disparities.
School suspensions have shot up nationwide, alarming new data shows - but rates are much higher in some parts of the country than others.
The Department for Education has this month released updated figures on suspensions and exclusions from England’s state schools, covering the full 2023/24 school year. They showed a total of 954,952 suspensions overall, up a whopping 21% from 786,961 during the previous school year. Permanent exclusions were up too, with 10,885 total over the academic year - up 16% from 9,376 from 2022/23.
Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, ranks 19th in the top 21 areas. Of its 8,623 pupils spread across seven state secondary schools, 1,102 of them had been suspended at least once – also about 12.8% of the student body.
The Hastings borough, in East Sussex, had the highest rate of suspensions in the 2023/24 school year. Of its 3,736 pupils spread across three state secondary schools, 986 of them had been suspended at least once – or 26.4% of the student body.
Rounding out the list, in 21st place, is Derbyshire’s Bolsover district. Of its 4,316 pupils spread across five state secondary schools, 546 of them had been suspended at least once – just under 12.7% of the student body.
However, it is worth remembering that the root causes behind suspension rates can be complex. Children eligible for free school meals and those receiving special educational needs support were both suspended at much higher rates than their peers, the data showed, hinting at deeper societal issues at play. And as parents can probably imagine, individual schools’ approaches to discipline can also be very different.