School suspension data: What exactly is 'disruptive behaviour', as record numbers suspended or expelled

• The number of school suspensions over the last academic year has hit a record high - increasing 36% in just one year.
• The number of expulsions is also record-breakingly high.
• More of both have been attributed to persistent disruptive behaviour in the classroom than anything else.
• At least one expert feels the pandemic limiting social interaction may have something to do with it.

There were record numbers of schoolchildren both suspended and expelled during the last academic year, new data shows, and it’s mostly down to disruptive behaviour.

The government has this month released new data on suspensions and permanent exclusions in English state schools during the 2022/23 school year. There were almost 787,000 temporarily suspensions and 9,400 expulsions - both not only being massive leaps on the year before, but the highest numbers ever recorded.

The lion’s share of serious disciplinary action was down to one thing, the government reported: persistent disruptive behaviour. But what exactly does this mean, and why have suspension rates suddenly climbed so high?

Here’s what you need to know:

Just how bad is the issue?

These figures represent an enormous spike in the number of children being suspended or expelled from schools.

The exact number of suspensions in the last academic year is logged at 786,961 - up a mammoth 36% from 578,280 the year before. This is the equivalent of 933 suspensions per 10,000 pupils. There were also 9,376 permanent exclusions, up 44% from last year’s total of 6,495. This is the equivalent of 11 in every 10,000 pupils being expelled.

It’s worth noting that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sometimes comparing year-on-year trends can be unhelpful. But these were the highest figures ever recorded, the government specified.

Prior to the pandemic, the number and rate of suspensions had been increasing gradually, primarily driven by increases in secondary schools. Schools are able to log up to three reasons why a child has been suspended, and one has come out as a clear winner.

Persistent disruptive behaviour accounted for nearly half (48%) of all suspensions. To contrast, 16% were attributed to verbal abuse or threatening language towards adults - like teachers - 13% were due to physically assaulting other pupils, 5.6% were due to physically harming adults, 2.6% were drug or alcohol-related, 1.3% were due to racial abuse, and less than 1% were attributed to bullying.

Disruptive behaviour was also behind 39% of expulsions, far more than other reasons like verbal abuse or threats towards adults (12%), using or threatening to use weapons against others (5.3%), sexual misconduct (1.1%) or bullying (0.74%).

What exactly is ‘disruptive behaviour’?

Disruptive behaviour being the most commonly noted reason behind suspensions or expulsions is a fairly common pattern year-on-year, the data noted.

It’s usually not an easy decision for headteachers to remove a child from school - especially permanently. But the Department for Education says schools also need to be a calm, safe and supportive environment, where children can learn “free from disruption and fear of bullying”.

According to government guidance for schools, disruptive behaviour is any which interferes with teaching, learning or school routines. The government trusts head teachers to use their professional judgement in setting rules and punishing students for breaking them.

A lot of different things are considered low level disruptive behaviour, especially in the classroom during lesson time. Online educational resource Twinkl lists some of these as unnecessary talking, shouting over or interrupting people, not doing work when told, showing a lack of respect for teachers or classmates, talking back to teachers, or using their phones during class.

But they key here is in the name. For more serious action to be taken this behaviour has to be persistent and ongoing, and it is often reserved for extremely disruptive behaviours. Schools are typically advised to only use more serious sanctions as a last resort. They should also investigate whether there could be any underlying factors influencing the pupil’s behaviour that would benefit from more support instead - like potentially having special educational needs.

Why is it becoming such a problem now - and how can schools solve it?

There have been a number of reasons touted by expert and education leaders as potentially helping drive the recent rise in disruptive behaviour in schools.

Former Ofsted head Amanda Spielman told The Guardian last year that children had also lost a lot of vital socialisation time during the pandemic, which she believed had contributed to there being more disruptive behaviour in classrooms. It was damage she believed would take years to heal. “I don’t want to be over-optimistic, nor do I want to be apocalyptic. I just want to acknowledge this is [going to be] a multi-year challenge.”

The Association of School and College Leaders’ general secretary, Pepe Di’Iasio, said that schools were seeing “increasingly complex needs and challenging behaviour” from their pupils. “Behavioural issues are often a result of poor mental health or unmet special educational needs.”

Schools “desperately” needed the new government to put more support systems in place to get young people the help they needed before problems escalated. “Early intervention is key to solving this issue, but schools lack the resources to offer specialist support and local services have become overwhelmed by the increased demand,” he continued. “It’s vitally important that there is investment in education and family support services to ensure children get help as soon as they require it, and behavioural issues do not spiral to the point where suspensions and exclusions are the only option left available to school leaders.”

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) agreed, with secretary Paul Whiteman adding that schools alone could not be expected to address tall of the complex root-causes that lead to disruptive behaviour in the classroom. “The solution lies partly in ensuring families and schools have better access to support... and in making sure appropriate provision is in place for children with special educational needs so that we can prevent underlying issues escalating, and make it easier for children and teachers to focus on learning.”

If your family is struggling to deal with a child with difficult behaviour, there are help and resources available. You can try visiting the Family Lives website for parenting advice and support, or phone their free parents' helpline on 0808 800 2222.