According to experts, the high number of suspensions at England’s most stringent academy schools is 30 times higher than the national average. This is causing concern as it has a negative impact on the most vulnerable children in the country.
An examination by Observer of the most recent annual information from the Department for Education (DfE) shows that numerous multi-academy trusts had significantly higher suspension rates than the national average in some of their schools during the 2021-22 academic year. Two of the largest trusts in the country, Astrea and Outward Grange Academies Trust (OGAT), had schools where the suspension rate was approximately 200% of the total number of students – although this number may have been inflated due to repeated suspensions for some students – compared to the national average of 6.9%.
Recently, a recent study revealed that there was a significant increase in suspensions throughout England during the fall semester of 2022. This resulted in approximately 250,000 suspensions affecting around 135,000 students. The rate of exclusions also returned to levels similar to before the pandemic, as shown by data from the Department for Education (DfE) and analyzed by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) thinktank. In that term, 3,104 students were permanently excluded from school.
The CSJ discovered information through the Freedom of Information Act that revealed pupil referral units (PRUs), where excluded students are frequently sent, have more applicants than available spots. This summer, there were over 800 more students enrolled in PRUs than there were spots.
Maureen McKenna, a former education director at Glasgow city council who has been hired by London’s Violence Reduction Unit to drive down exclusions, said: “The most common reason for suspensions and exclusions is persistent disruptive behaviour, but in some schools that starts with not bringing your pencil or refusing to take your jacket off.”
McKenna was in charge of a decrease of 90% in suspensions during a 14-year period in Glasgow. This was accompanied by a 50% decrease in violence in the city. She believes that although suspensions are sometimes necessary, they have become an “easy way out” in certain schools instead of actually helping young individuals improve their decision-making skills.
In the 2021-22 academic year, numerous academy schools had suspension rates that were either equal to or lower than the national average. However, there were a few well-known “zero tolerance” trusts in England that consistently exceeded this average. One such trust is Astrea, which oversees 26 schools and is recognized by the government as an effective means of improving failing schools. At its Woodfields academy in Doncaster, Astrea had a suspension rate of 255%, which is 37 times higher than the national average. Despite being rated as “Good” by Ofsted, this school suspended 33% of its students multiple times. Other schools within the trust also had alarmingly high suspension rates.
Last month, educators at Astrea’s St. Ivo academy in Cambridgeshire went on strike to voice their opposition to the trust’s behavior regulations. These rules include having quiet hallways, maintaining silence in class unless given permission to speak, and receiving detention as a consequence for forgetting to bring a pen.
According to an Astrea representative, there has been a notable rise in unacceptable and dangerous behavior following the pandemic, requiring a concerted effort to redefine appropriate conduct among young individuals. At Woodfield, suspensions have decreased by 29% this fall compared to the same period last year.
In the 2021-22 academic year, OGAT, led by Sir Martyn Oliver who will become the new chief inspector of Ofsted in January, had nine schools with a suspension rate of over 75%. The suspension rate at Ormesby academy in Middlesbrough was 202%, while Normanby academy in the same town had a rate of 198%.
OGAT manages 41 schools in the northern region and has received negative feedback for their rigorous behavior rules, which involve the implementation of isolation booths. In 2019, ex-teachers accused the school of conducting assemblies where students were frequently embarrassed and forced to cry as a disciplinary tactic. OGAT denied the allegations and stated that they do not condone such practices.
A representative from OGAT stated: “We have schools in disadvantaged areas that have been struggling for a long time and were among the most difficult in the system when we assumed responsibility for them.”
The representative stated that suspensions are used as a final measure in order to prevent the disruption of education for the majority of students who are eager to attend school and learn.
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According to Frank Norris, an education advisor for the Northern Power Partnership, this information highlights a lack of acceptance towards some of the most disadvantaged children in the nation.
Anne Longfield, chair of the Commission on Young Lives and the government’s former children’s commissioner for England, warned that poorer children and those with special educational needs were more likely to be suspended or excluded, but “it also depends on the school you go to”.
She stated that young individuals who are excluded are at risk of being taken advantage of by criminal organizations, which can negatively impact their opportunities in life.
Longfield was worried about the increasing occurrence of “off-rolling”, where schools secretly remove difficult students from their records.
A frequently seen occurrence is when parents are informed that their child is in danger of being excluded. However, they have the option to remove their child from the situation if they do not want it to be recorded.
Former Ofsted inspector turned school advisor Julie Price Grimshaw stated that, based on her observations, certain academies would have significantly increased rates of exclusion if they also took into account the parents who were pressured to withdraw their children due to frequent suspensions.
A representative from the Department for Education stated: “We support school leaders in utilizing suspensions and permanent exclusions as necessary for managing behavior. This allows for the creation of peaceful, secure, and supportive environments where both students and staff can work safely and with respect.”
Source: theguardian.com
