We don’t use suspensions too much, say most school staff

Fewer than one in 30 teachers and leaders say their school uses suspensions excessively, despite fresh government pressure on leaders to keep more pupils in school.

Last week the Department for Education (DfE) pledged a new framework for “internal suspensions” – often called internal exclusions or isolation – as part of its looming white paper.

Guidance will encourage schools to send fewer pupils home, limiting off-site suspensions to “the most serious and violent behaviour”.

But the announcement prompted warnings of greater disruption in schools, and confusion over what the government wants  – as suspended pupils cannot currently be kept in school.

While suspensions have increased by a fifth in recent years, just one per cent of 5,020 teachers polled recently by Teacher Tapp said schools use off-site suspensions too much.

Heads were slightly more likely to say the same (three per cent). Far more (31 per cent) said schools use too few, though the biggest proportion (41 per cent) said schools use the right amount.

Data also revealed many teachers’ schools already used internal exclusions. Of those, 34 per cent said schools used the right amount. Another 23 per cent said they were used too little.

‘Short sighted approach’

Mike Cater, CEO of Character Education Trust, said it “felt like a complex situation has been met with quite a short-sighted approach” in the new guidance.

“It’s so incredibly complex and individual to each school and headteachers…but this does seem to be just a way of putting off headteachers from making that decision when they have to make it. No-one makes that lightly.”

Last week’s announcement was marred by communications blunders, with actual guidance not due for weeks.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of school leaders’ union ASCL, agreed it was “poorly handled and lacked detail”.

“As this data shows, many schools already use on-site suspensions…what schools really need is investment that allows them to employ appropriately skilled specialist staff and ensure the right support is in place to prevent behavioural issues from escalating.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT,  highlighted potential “practical barriers” to using more internal exclusion, such as having enough space or staff.

Schools are not expected to receive extra funding to support more excluded pupils on site.

Neil Miller, deputy CEO of London South East Academies Trust, said his schools had suspended pupils involved in social media bullying, and for repeated discriminatory language.

“It isn’t about those percentages and numbers. This is about doing the right thing for the right child for the right time.”

Calls for ministers to trust schools

Persistent disruptive behaviour was the top reason for suspension last year, followed by verbal or physical abuse towards staff.

“We’re not recruiting enough teachers in this country as it is,” Miller added. 

“If they’re being physically threatened or verbally threatened by children, and actually those children are still coming into the school…what message are we giving out to those staff?”

The DfE has insisted headteachers will retain autonomy over both suspensions and internal exclusions.

Caroline Lowing, headteacher of Thornden School in Hampshire, said there should be “trust in what we’re doing”. While her school may suspend pupils for swearing at teachers, this “will be different 20 miles down the road”.

Miller agreed guidance “can’t be a one size fits all”, warning that otherwise significant numbers of schools would be “really penalised”.

Despite leaders’ concerns, Philip Wood, principal associate at law firm Browne Jacobson, said he did not expect guidance to “particularly move the dial”, with schools already using internal suspensions.

“We advise a significant number of headteachers on a daily basis – I’m not sure headteachers are giving suspensions without thinking about it.”

DfE weighs data requests but not targets

Schools are not currently required legally to record data on internal exclusions, but many do so through management information systems (MIS).

Schools Week revealed earlier this week the DfE will “seek views on the appropriate requirements for recording and reporting” internal exclusions.

Ane Vernon, partner at law firm Payne Hicks Beach, said this would take isolation room usage “out of the dark murky corners of some practices”.

The government confirmed schools won’t face targets on internal exclusion, however.

Schools Week also recently revealed the widespread use of internal exclusions for the first time, using data from MIS provider Arbor.

Our investigation found the average secondary school using the practice isolates almost a fifth of pupils from their classmates at least once each year.

The DfE was approached for comment.