“No school leader ever wants to suspend or exclude a pupil, it is only ever a last resort, and therefore these figures reflect a significant increase in challenging behaviour that is leaving schools with no other option. Very often this stems from the fact that children are attending with complex needs that schools do not have the resources to deal with and which require specialist expertise and support.
“We urgently need to provide children and families with enhanced support at an early stage in order to prevent behavioural issues from escalating and ensure that these young people go on to have good educational outcomes and fulfilling careers and lives. This would also benefit other children and staff by reducing the challenges of disruptive behaviour.
“To achieve this the government must ensure that schools have the funding, resources, and access to expert help they require. But even then schools cannot solve all these problems on their own and solutions must involve improved health, social and community services to provide support to children and families.”