'Our sanctions are fair' The secondaries sending away one in four pupils

Fifty secondary schools in England suspended more than a quarter of their students after the pandemic, with children at schools with the most disadvantaged pupils three times as likely to be suspended as children living in wealthier areas, according to analysis by the Guardian.

- Carmen Aguilar García

The proportion of schools suspending large numbers of pupils has risen sharply since schools were closed to many children during Covid, and teachers have struggled with deteriorating behaviour since they reopened.

The number of secondary schools that sent away a quarter or more of their pupils rose to 50 in 2022-23, double the 24 that did so in 2018-19, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE).

Of the 50 schools, five are run by Dixons Academies Trust and three each by Outwood Grange Academies Trust (OGAT) and Northern Education Trust.

Three of the schools suspended more than 37% of their pupils in 2022-23: Dixons Croxteth academy in Liverpool, Outwood academy Kirkby in Nottinghamshire and Outwood academy Bishopsgarth in Stockton-on-Tees.