Sharp increase in pupils suspended or excluded from schools in England

School leaders and teaching unions have warned that pupil behaviour has substantially worsened since the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021. Photograph: parkerphotography/Alamy

Teachers in England continue to struggle with disruptive and violent behaviour in classrooms and playgrounds, as figures show a sharp increase in the number of pupils suspended or excluded from school.

Ministers described the Department for Education figures for 2022-23 as “shocking”, with a record 787,000 pupils suspended – equivalent to nearly one in every 10 pupils in England being temporarily sent home.