Suspending pupils from school will be reserved for the most serious cases of bad behaviour including violence, according to the latest government guidance to be issued to schools in England.
The Department for Education (DfE) is to announce a consultation on behaviour policy to be included in the forthcoming schools white paper that is intended to keep more children sanctioned for non-violent misbehaviour in schools in units known as “internal exclusion”, rather than sending them home.
School leaders and teachers said the extra clarity was welcome but that there was a risk the deterrent effect of suspensions could be weakened as a result.
The DfE statement said: “Suspensions were introduced 40 years ago – long before the existence of mobile phones and social media. Today, suspension at home can mean unfettered access to friends and online gaming – doing little to address behaviour, enforce punishment or re-engage pupils with learning.
“The government has been clear that mobile phones have no place in schools. This reform will bring suspensions in line with that principle, ending the contradiction where pupils are restricted from phones in school but effectively handed them all day when suspended.
“The most serious and violent behaviour will still result in pupils being removed from the school environment and the new framework will not replace at home suspensions.”
Headteachers will retain the flexibility to apply suspensions, with the new framework formalising the use of internal exclusions to allow pupils to “continue learning in a separate, supervised setting, away from other pupils – reinforcing clear behavioural expectations while providing schools with the structure to address disruptive conduct”.
Many schools, especially secondary schools, have created internal exclusion or removal units as a way of managing disruptive behaviour without having to suspend pupils during teaching hours.
But critics say that use of isolation rooms or units can be inconsistent, without pupils being given appropriate school work or supervision. The DfE’s new guidance “will set clearer expectations, ensuring internal suspension is a short, structured intervention with meaningful learning and time for reflection”.
Suspensions – previously known as fixed-term exclusions – have hit record levels in England since the end of the Covid pandemic. Nearly a million were issued in the 2023-24 school year.
The schools white paper, to be published next month, will also include details of the government’s plans for more children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) to be taught in mainstream state schools. The policy is likely to require greater flexibility on school behaviour policies to boost inclusion for children with social and emotional issues.
The DfE said inclusive schools would be supported to uphold high standards while addressing underlying causes of behaviour.
Kiran Gill, the chief executive of The Difference, an education charity, said: “This is a really exciting direction of travel – to recognise that, though sanctions are important in schools, children being out of school or learning can worsen safeguarding threats and long term outcomes.
“The Difference is launching a new programme supporting 10 schools to reduce repeat suspensions and room removals, and to build sector-leading internal provision over three years. We see school leaders every day walking towards this challenge, and have been learning from effective practice to share with the whole sector.”
