Revealed: Number of schoolchildren removed from Black Country classrooms due to disruptive behaviour on the rise
The number of schoolchildren being removed from Black Country classrooms due to disruptive behaviour is on the rise, latest figures show.
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Heads union NAHT is warning that the rate of suspensions and exclusions is "still worryingly high" and risks damaging young people's future prospects.
The Department for Education said the most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions was persistent disruptive behaviour.
Its latest figures show that in Walsall the number of pupils suspended from schools rose in a year increasing to 1,927 in the spring term of 2023-24 – up from 1,010 the previous year. However, there was a drop in permanent exclusions from 16 to 12.
In Sandwell there were 1,502 temporary school suspensions, an increase on last year, when there were 1,246. There was a rise in the number of permanent exclusions in the same period to 33, an increase on the 19 the previous year.
In Dudley 1,463 pupils were given temporary suspensions in the same period – up from 1,366 the previous year. There was a rise in the number of permanent exclusions in the same period to 34, an increase on the 29 a year before.
The rise in exclusions come amid warnings of challenging behaviour in classrooms following the coronavirus pandemic period when lessons moved temporarily online.
Meanwhile in Wolverhampton the number of temporary suspensions fell to 889 in the same period – down from 959 the previous year. There was also a fall in permanent exclusions to 24, a decrease on the 28 the year before.
Across Staffordshire county 53 pupils were permanently excluded in the same period, a decrease on the 73 the previous year. There were 3,751 temporary school suspensions, a decrease on the previous year, when there were 4,041.
NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said: "The poor behaviour that leads to suspension and exclusion often has causes outside the classroom with big challenges facing children and families, including poverty, the cost-of-living crisis, accessing wider services for SEND (special educational needs support), and some lingering impact of the pandemic."
He added: "Schools can’t do it on their own. To avoid suspension and exclusion, they need funded, specialist help to meet every child’s needs."
Across England there were 3,107 permanent exclusions in spring last year compared to 3,039 in spring 2023 – a rise of two per cent.
Steve Haines, director of public affairs at the charity Impetus, said: "Our schools are not set up to support the needs of all students. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in particular are four times more likely to be suspended and five times more likely to be excluded than their better-off peers – with knock-on effects that can impact the rest of their lives.
"Children cannot learn if they are not in school and engaged, so it’s no surprise that young people who are suspended even once are unlikely to pass their GCSE English and maths, and they’re twice as likely to be neither earning nor learning at 24."
