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Rates of suspension for primary school children in state schools in England have more than doubled in a decade, according to a recent BBC analysis. Permanent exclusion rates for primary-age pupils also reportedly rose by around 70% during the same period. Campaigners have raised concerns that being excluded from school at a young age can have long-term implications for social mobility and mental wellbeing. Figures showed that nearly 90% of primary school children permanently excluded in the past five years had special educational needs and disabilities.
As part of the BBC’s report, a parent named Jo described how her son Edward, who has ADHD and is awaiting autism diagnosis, had been suspended repeatedly before being permanently excluded for disruptive behaviour. Although his primary school provided one-to-one support and access to a speech and language therapist, there was no suitable space for Edward to decompress. Jo admitted the day her son was permanently excluded “was the most horrific day of my life”. She is currently appealing the decision.
Perryfields Primary pupil referral unit in Worcester has 24 spaces for primary-age children, most of whom are on short-term placements. The unit also provides training for over 100 schools across South Worcestershire on behaviour and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) support. Perryfields’ head teacher Pete Hines claimed that the needs of primary school children had become increasingly complex over the roughly 20 years he has been teaching. Hines argued that referral units’ role should be an intervention rather than a destination.
ChanceUK, a children’s charity, has called for the provision of early intervention funding in primary schools. Their research has shown that 90% of those excluded from primary school also fail GCSEs in maths and English. BBC analysis indicates that while the majority of exclusions and suspensions (around 90%) occur in secondary schools, the numbers are rising for primary-age children. In England, there were reportedly 84,300 suspensions from primary schools in 2022/23 – a rate of 180 per 10,000 pupils, up from 2012/13. The rate of permanent exclusions also increased, from 1.5 to 2.6 per 10,000 pupils.
Schools in England may soon be assessed on their inclusivity and provision for vulnerable pupils, under possible changes to inspection. Education Minister Stephen Morgan said that the government was investing £1bn into SEND and access to specialist mental health professionals for all schools. Despite this, former children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, argued that excluding primary-age children should be a last resort. Longfield claimed that increasing numbers of children were not “school-ready” and advocated for greater focus on interventions like one-to-one teaching
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