Responding to a new report by IPPR (the Institute for Public
Policy Research) and The Difference which finds chool exclusions
and suspensions rose by a fifth last year, Paul Whiteman, general
secretary at school leaders' union NAHT, said:
“Schools want children to be in the classroom and use suspensions
and exclusions as a last resort for the safety and wellbeing of
all children.
“Teachers and school leaders work tirelessly to understand and
tackle the root causes of challenging or disruptive behaviour,
but they cannot do this alone. This sobering research shows the
scale of the challenge they are facing post-pandemic and after a
decade in which previous governments failed to invest anything
like enough in vital community support, including for the most
disadvantaged families.
“Families and schools need better access to help from social care
and mental health services, and support for children with special
educational needs, while specialist behaviour support teams need
to be rebuilt so schools can access timely specialist help for
young people who need it.
“While we know there is no quick fix, we are pleased that the new
government has pledged to confront some of these wider social
issues, including the scourge of child poverty, many of which
have not been acknowledged let alone addressed in recent years.”
