What is a suspension and what is a permanent exclusion?
In an examination of the most recent figures available, that is the school year 2023/2024, it is important to understand what a suspension is and what a school exclusion is. This is because it affects your rights, the school’s responsibility towards your child, and the routes for reviewing the decision to exclude or suspend your child.
Suspension
A suspension, sometimes referred to as a fixed-term exclusion, is when a pupil is excluded from school for a set period of time. It can be for part of a school day, not just a full day, and it does not have to be continuous. A suspension cannot be open-ended. A pupil may be suspended for one or more periods up to a maximum of 45 school days in a single academic year.
Permanent exclusion
A permanent exclusion is when a pupil is excluded and will not return to that school unless the exclusion is overturned.
The number of suspensions and exclusions for 2023/24
In 2023/24, schools in England issued 954,952 suspensions and 10,885 permanent exclusions across state funded primary, state funded secondary and special schools.
Those figures are important because they represent lost learning time for children and a large number of families navigating stressful situations. The figures also show that both suspensions and permanent exclusions increased, compared with the previous academic year, as the following table illustrates.
| Academic year | Suspensions | Permanent exclusions |
| 2023/24 | 954,952 | 10,885 |
| 2022/23 | 786,961 | 9,376 |
Source: Department for Education
It will be interesting to see, when the annual data for 2024/25 is released later this year, if the figures increase again, or whether the Government has been successful in its ambition of improving early intervention. In March 2025, Stephen Morgan MP, Minister for Early Education, acknowledged: “We know that some groups of children are at higher risk of exclusion, which is why the Government are breaking down barriers to opportunity by ensuring early intervention in mainstream schools for all pupils, including those at risk of exclusion. We are clear that schools have a legal duty not to discriminate against pupils with SEND under the Equality Act 2010.”
Where do most suspensions and permanent exclusions happen?
Early intervention needs to take place in all schools, but more so in secondary schools as the 2023/24 data reveals that secondary schools are where most school suspensions and permanent exclusions take place.
As to the reasons for suspension and exclusion, the 2023/24 statistics show the three most common recorded reasons for suspension were: persistent disruptive behaviour, verbal abuse or threatening behaviour against an adult, and physical assault against a pupil.
As to school exclusions for the same period, the three most common recorded reasons for permanent exclusion were: persistent disruptive behaviour, physical assault against a pupil, and physical assault against an adult.
The official data reveals suspension and permanent exclusion rates are highest in the mid secondary years, and that male pupils had higher rates than female pupils in 2023/24.
Pupil characteristics for suspensions and exclusions
Special educational needs
Stephen Morgan’s remarks in March 2025 specifically mentioned children with special educational needs. Therefore, it is not surprising that the 2023/24 data reports substantially higher rates of suspension and permanent exclusion for pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with SEN support and pupils with an education health and care plan, compared with pupils with no identified SEN.
Where SEN is relevant, fairness is not only about the incident that led to exclusion. It is about whether the school recognised the needs of the child, made appropriate adjustments, and followed a sensible graduated response rather than moving quickly to punishment.
We know there are more exclusions and suspensions in secondary schools. The reason is multi factorial. Secondary schools manage larger pupil populations, more movement across the day, more peer dynamics, and more complex behaviour patterns of the pupils. Where support for children is stretched, particularly for those with special needs, decisions can escalate quickly. If your child is starting to struggle in secondary school, early engagement with the school may be an effective way of addressing the issue rather than trying to resolve matters after a suspension or exclusion has already taken place.
Free school meals
The other group that suffers higher rates of suspension and permanent exclusion are those pupils eligible for free school meals.
If your child is eligible for free school meals and you feel decisions are harsher than they should be, it is fair to raise your concerns. Parents should ask what early help was offered to their child, what adjustments were made, and what support plan was in place before the school moved to exclusion.
How to respond to a school exclusion or suspension
School suspension or exclusion will be stressful for child and parents alike. Importantly, parents do not need to accept vague explanations from the school or broad labels. A clear, detailed account should be provided to explain how circumstances have led to a suspension or school exclusion. Parents may want to respond, making respectful inquiries of the school, to help their child.
1. Ask for the written reasons for exclusion and the evidence
Ask the school to confirm what happened, what policy was relied on, and what reason or reasons were recorded for the suspension or exclusion. Where the reason is persistent disruptive behaviour, ask for the specific incidents, dates, and the pattern relied upon to justify that category.
2. Ask what support was tried before sanction
Ask what help was offered before the school moved to suspension or permanent exclusion. If SEN is relevant, ask what adjustments were made, what SEN support was offered, and what specialist input was considered.
3. Keep the focus on outcomes
Most families will want their child reintegrated at school, with proper support, a behaviour plan, a needs assessment, or a fair review of the decision. It is important to keep discussions focused on outcomes as this helps avoid arguments that do not benefit your child.
4. If it is a permanent exclusion, understand the review route early
Parents can request an independent review of a permanent exclusion. If that route is pursued, timing of the exclusion appeal and documentation are most important. Parents only have 15 school days to lodge an appeal against a school exclusion, so acting promptly is essential, along with a well written exclusion appeal, taking account of the school’s behaviour policy.
Closing thoughts
Schools have duties to maintain a safe and calm learning environment for children. Sometimes exclusion decisions are necessary. However, the 2023/24 official statistics show that exclusion and suspension are experienced more heavily by some groups, including pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with special educational needs. Hopefully the Government will meet its own aspirations of ensuring schools intervene at an early stage to reduce the number of those children excluded from learning.
If you are worried about your child being excluded or receiving unfair treatment, particularly in a SEN exclusion situation, it is important to remember that you are entitled to fairness and a proper explanation from the school.
Contact us if you seek support with your child’s suspension or exclusion. Exclusions from independent schools are also potentially capable of challenge, although a different review process is applied.