Record number of school suspensions in Shropshire dished out
The suspension rate for pupils in schools across Shropshire soared to the highest level on record in the last autumn term, new figures show.
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An education minister has said suspensions and exclusions across England have "reached a crisis point", with the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on children's behaviour across England.
Department for Education figures show 4.8 suspensions per 100 pupils were handed out by schools in Shropshire in the 2023-24 autumn term.
This was up from 3.4 per 100 pupils the year before and was the highest figure since records began in 2016-17. In the 2019-20 autumn term, before the coronavirus pandemic, the suspension rate was 2.5 per 100 pupils.
Nationally, the suspension rate soared to 4.1 per 100 last autumn – almost double the pre-pandemic rate of 2.2.
Meanwhile, the number of total suspensions dished out rose by two fifths in a single year, with the Association of School and College Leaders warning the "whole system is teetering on the brink of collapse".
