‘Disruptive behaviour’ most common reason for exclusions, DfE figures show
Fiona Simpson
Monday, August 1, 2022
"Disruptive behaviour” has been cited as the most common reason for school exclusions, according to the Department for Education, prompting calls from communication experts for greater support for children with speech and language problems.
Latest DfE figures show that in 2020/21 “persistent disruptive behaviour” was recorded as the reason behind 1,526 of 5,146 permanent exclusions.
Children’s communication charity I CAN has urged teachers to assess children for communication problems before excluding them over disruptive behaviour.
A spokesman for the charity said: “All too often children who have speech and language challenges are noted as having behaviour problems.
“Children may seem to misbehave when actually they are confused by instructions by teachers or unable to explain what they need.
“We urge schools and policy-makers to recognise that more children are struggling with speech and language post-pandemic and to put in the identification tools and training needed to avoid exclusions.”
Meanwhile, children with education health and care plans (EHCP) are more likely than their peers to be excluded or suspended from school, the figures show.
Children eligible for free school meals are also four times more likely to be excluded than non-eligible peers, the report adds.
It also notes that pupils from Gypsy Roma backgrounds have the highest rate of exclusion and suspension compared with other ethnicities.
Overall, the number of permanent exclusions has decreased from 5,100 in 2019/20 to 3,900 in 2020/21.
In the last full academic year before the pandemic, 2018/19, there were 7,900 permanent exclusions, according to the statistics.
The figures come just weeks after Southwark Council introduced a charter pledging to stop exclusions for all children in the London borough.
The School Inclusion Charter, agreed at a cabinet meeting of the council last month, pledges not to exclude pupils for “disruptive behaviour” unless they pose a danger to other pupils.
