Suspensions

Published

1. Main facts and figures

  • Gypsy and Roma pupils had the highest suspension rates out of all ethnic groups in the 2021 to 2022 school year – 2,563 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils (a rate of 25.63)

  • pupils from the Chinese (73 for every 10,000 pupils) and Indian ethnic groups (106 for every 10,000 pupils) had the lowest suspension rates

  • these rates are based on very small numbers of suspensions and are less reliable as a result

Further research

Research by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (PDF) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) found that Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils were stereotyped at school. This included teachers assuming that they were bullies.

Research by the Office for National Statistics about Gypsies’ and Travellers' lived experiences, education and employment found that Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller children sometimes reacted to the bullying and racism they experienced, and were unfairly suspended as a result.

Many exclusions of Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller pupils are appealed and overturned, as shown in Education inequalities facing Gypsies, Roma and Travellers in England (PDF) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) by the charity Friends, Families and Travellers. They suggest that more understanding and support should be given to Gypsy and Roma and Irish Traveller pupils facing exclusion, such as that outlined in the Timpson Review of School Exclusion, to make sure that the appropriate solution is chosen. This research also found that the gap between permanent exclusion rates for Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller and white British children decreased when controlling for other factors like poverty, special educational needs and absence. The report suggests that the causes of higher exclusion rates among Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils is likely to be multifaceted and encompass wider issues than just ethnicity.

2. Things you need to know

What the data measures

The data shows the number and rate of suspensions from state-funded schools in England.

Suspensions are temporary and can be for up to 45 school days.

Pupils can be suspended more than once and from more than one school, as long as all the suspensions in a school year don't add up to more than 45 days.

Suspension rates are rounded to 2 decimal places.

You can see data on permanent exclusions by ethnicity.

Not included in the data

The data does not show:

  • the number of pupils who were given suspensions
  • how many times each pupil was suspended

How suspension rates are calculated

Rates are calculated using the number of pupils in January each year and the number of suspensions in the whole school year.

For example, a suspension rate of 11.22% is the equivalent of 1,122 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils.

Percentages of suspensions by reason for each ethnic group are based on total reasons, not all pupils.

The ethnic groups used in the data

The ethnic groups used are based on the 18 ethnic groups used in the 2011 Census, with 2 exceptions:

  • there are separate categories for Traveller of Irish heritage, and Gypsy and Roma pupils
  • the Chinese ethnic group has its own category, rather than being part of the Asian ethnic group

Data analysed over time, by local authority and by reason is shown for 6 aggregated groups:

  • Asian
  • black
  • Chinese
  • mixed
  • white
  • 'other'

This is to make sure pupil numbers are large enough to be reliable.

Pupils’ ethnicity was not known for 13,700 school suspensions. Suspension rates are shown separately for pupils whose ethnic group was not known. Any data where there is only 1 pupil in the category has been suppressed with '!'.

Methodology

Read the detailed methodology document for this data.

You can also read about a data checking exercise for data from 1997 to 2010, which led to some figures being updated.

Data for the Gypsy and Roma, and Traveller of Irish heritage groups is based on small numbers of pupils. In addition, there are low numbers of suspensions in some ethnic groups. This makes it difficult to make reliable generalisations.

Read more about how group size affects the reliability of data.

From the 2020 to 2021 school year, up to 3 reasons can be recorded for each suspension. There is no requirement to order the reasons. In previous years there was a different list of reasons and schools were required to report the main reason for each suspension. So data on the reasons for suspensions is not comparable with those before the 2020 to 2021 school year.

In the data file

In the schools years up to 2016 to 2017, ethnicity was only collected for pupils of compulsory school age. As a result, the analysis of exclusions by ethnicity in these years only includes pupils of compulsory school age. Pupils above compulsory school age are still included in the overall totals, so these will not match total suspensions by ethnicity.

The decimal places against values for 1997 to 2010 are a result of a data checking exercise, which led to some figures being updated.

3. By ethnicity

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Suspensions rate, and number of suspensions, by ethnicity
Ethnicity Rate Number
All 6.91 578,280
Asian 2.66 26,183
Bangladeshi 2.25 3,389
Indian 1.06 3,062
Pakistani 4.20 15,844
Asian Other 2.29 3,888
Black 6.42 30,982
Black African 4.96 16,658
Black Caribbean 11.74 9,562
Black Other 7.34 4,762
Chinese 0.73 350
Mixed 7.87 43,553
Mixed White and Asian 5.07 6,796
Mixed White and Black African 8.08 6,118
Mixed White and Black Caribbean 13.62 17,987
Mixed Other 5.98 12,652
White 7.62 455,832
White British 7.90 423,111
Gypsy, Roma 25.63 6,954
White Irish 6.99 1,493
Irish Traveller 19.34 1,321
White Other 4.01 22,953
Other 4.18 7,680
Unknown 10.12 13,700

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Suspensions By ethnicity Summary

The data shows that:

  • Gypsy and Roma pupils (2,563 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 25.63), and Traveller of Irish heritage pupils (1,934 for every 10,000 pupils, or 19.34) had the highest suspension rates
  • pupils from the Chinese (73 for every 10,000 pupils, 0.73) and Indian ethnic groups (106 for every 10,000 pupils, or 1.06) had the lowest suspension rates
  • the suspension rate for white British pupils was 790 for every 10,000 pupils (or 7.90)
  • the overall suspension rate was around 691 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils (or 6.91)

4. By ethnicity over time

Location:
England
Time period:
September 2006 to July 2022
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Suspension rate, and number of suspensions, by ethnicity over time
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
School year All Rate All Number Asian Rate Asian Number Black Rate Black Number Chinese Rate Chinese Number Mixed Rate Mixed Number White Rate White Number Other Rate Other Number
2006/07 5.65 425,588 3.07 15,817 8.98 25,497 0.83 205 9.02 19,725 6.32 347,869 3.97 2,933
2007/08 5.13 383,831 2.78 14,950 8.00 23,478 0.95 236 7.75 17,837 5.83 314,783 3.79 2,977
2008/09 4.77 355,139 2.62 14,617 7.69 23,266 0.83 205 7.26 17,670 5.44 289,055 3.59 2,972
2009/10 4.44 331,380 2.44 14,112 7.28 22,820 0.73 181 6.85 17,684 5.07 267,282 3.27 2,853
2010/11 4.33 324,106 2.21 13,253 6.98 22,775 0.62 155 6.55 17,891 4.94 258,314 3.24 2,973
2011/12 4.03 304,372 1.76 12,934 5.20 20,439 0.39 115 5.12 17,239 4.24 246,170 2.64 3,011
2012/13 3.51 267,520 1.82 11,845 5.06 17,802 0.41 106 5.13 15,629 4.14 214,482 2.76 2,770
2013/14 3.50 269,475 1.68 11,347 4.77 17,389 0.41 109 5.02 16,226 4.16 216,185 2.56 2,712
2014/15 3.88 302,975 1.85 12,988 5.42 20,446 0.47 131 5.49 18,835 4.61 240,762 2.96 3,324
2015/16 4.29 339,362 1.91 13,906 5.89 22,899 0.56 161 5.98 21,664 5.14 269,533 3.05 3,645
2016/17 4.76 381,864 1.80 15,680 5.65 25,557 0.56 197 5.73 25,678 5.08 303,724 3.11 4,570
2017/18 5.08 410,753 1.76 15,747 5.56 25,538 0.50 181 5.89 27,583 5.50 329,354 3.16 4,840
2018/19 5.36 438,265 2.03 18,657 5.54 25,800 0.56 205 6.29 30,748 5.80 348,338 3.34 5,343
2019/20 3.76 310,733 1.35 12,731 3.85 18,086 0.30 114 4.35 22,162 4.11 246,979 2.22 3,713
2020/21 4.25 352,454 1.65 15,725 4.07 19,141 0.43 163 4.88 25,820 4.65 278,855 2.62 4,499
2021/22 6.91 578,280 2.66 26,183 6.42 30,982 0.73 350 7.87 43,553 7.62 455,832 4.18 7,680

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)

Summary of Suspensions By ethnicity over time Summary

The data shows that, in the 15 school years to July 2022:

  • the overall suspension rate went up from from 565 to 691 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils (or from 5.65 to 6.91)
  • in most years covered by this data, pupils from black and mixed ethnic backgrounds had the highest suspension rates out of all aggregated ethnic groups – for the 4 school years to July 2022, the rate was higher for white pupils than black pupils
  • the rates for white pupils were consistently above the national average
  • pupils from the Chinese ethnic group consistently had the lowest rates
  • the rates for black pupils decreased from 8.98 in 2007 to 6.42 in 2022

5. By ethnicity and type of school

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Suspension rate, and number of suspensions, by ethnicity and type of school
State-funded primary State-funded secondary State-funded special Total
Ethnicity State-funded primary Rate State-funded primary Number State-funded secondary Rate State-funded secondary Number State-funded special Rate State-funded special Number Total Rate Total Number
All 1.42 66,203 13.96 498,120 9.60 13,957 6.91 578,280
Asian 0.33 1,770 5.68 24,206 1.40 207 2.66 26,183
Bangladeshi 0.23 187 4.76 3,170 1.24 32 2.25 3,389
Indian 0.18 298 2.24 2,744 0.70 20 1.06 3,062
Pakistani 0.44 915 9.09 14,816 1.72 113 4.20 15,844
Asian Other 0.40 370 4.69 3,476 1.49 42 2.29 3,888
Black 1.52 3,814 12.01 26,542 6.24 626 6.42 30,982
Black African 1.11 1,950 9.44 14,489 3.29 219 4.96 16,658
Black Caribbean 3.08 1,225 20.13 8,030 17.28 307 11.74 9,562
Black Other 1.79 639 14.54 4,023 6.22 100 7.34 4,762
Chinese 0.22 63 1.45 280 1.44 7 0.73 350
Mixed 1.76 5,603 16.35 36,743 12.64 1,207 7.87 43,553
Mixed White and Asian 0.97 753 10.90 5,923 6.82 120 5.07 6,796
Mixed White and Black African 1.97 853 16.39 5,096 12.46 169 8.08 6,118
Mixed White and Black Caribbean 3.17 2,382 27.81 15,032 20.77 573 13.62 17,987
Mixed Other 1.32 1,615 12.55 10,692 9.39 345 5.98 12,652
White 1.59 53,319 15.47 390,949 11.00 11,564 7.62 455,832
White British 1.67 49,599 15.90 362,364 11.39 11,148 7.90 423,111
Gypsy, Roma 3.76 674 71.42 6,205 14.45 75 25.63 6,954
White Irish 1.64 179 12.57 1,270 12.57 44 6.99 1,493
Irish Traveller 7.80 410 62.83 894 11.11 17 19.34 1,321
White Other 0.73 2,457 8.86 20,216 4.51 280 4.01 22,953
Other 0.62 648 9.01 6,954 2.89 78 4.18 7,680
Unknown 1.63 986 17.25 12,446 9.83 268 10.12 13,700

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)

Summary of Suspensions By ethnicity and type of school Summary

The data shows that:

  • in every ethnic group, suspension rates were higher in secondary and special schools than in primary schools
  • pupils from the Traveller of Irish heritage ethnic group had the highest suspension rates in primary schools – 780 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 7.80
  • Gypsy and Roma pupils had the highest suspension rates in secondary schools – 7,142 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 71.42
  • mixed white and black Caribbean pupils had the highest suspension rates in special schools – 2,077 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 20.77
  • pupils from the Indian and Chinese ethnic groups had the lowest suspension rates in every type of school

6. By ethnicity and local authority

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Suspension rate, and number of suspensions, by ethnicity and local authority
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
Local Authority All Rate All Number Asian Rate Asian Number Black Rate Black Number Chinese Rate Chinese Number Mixed Rate Mixed Number White Rate White Number Other Rate Other Number
Barking and Dagenham 2.91 1,306 0.96 124 3.13 343 0.00 0 4.14 189 4.28 628 0.88 7
Barnet 3.69 2,263 1.51 120 6.09 387 0.34 4 4.83 330 3.42 1,039 4.36 300
Barnsley 13.49 4,735 1.71 4 12.07 35 0.00 0 10.94 94 13.65 4,542 0.00 0
Bath and North East Somerset 8.22 2,266 2.63 13 17.47 40 0.00 0 14.24 220 7.33 1,782 9.62 20
Bedford 4.98 1,521 2.33 113 4.56 89 0.00 0 8.59 286 5.02 983 5.61 22
Bexley 6.26 2,747 1.60 72 5.26 411 0.15 1 5.58 214 7.65 1,965 5.96 40
Birmingham 6.52 13,231 3.43 2,588 8.03 2,045 0.73 11 10.69 2,083 8.47 5,434 4.14 487
Blackburn with Darwen 5.49 1,518 2.20 279 2.37 8 0.00 0 7.46 83 8.63 1,098 1.96 9
Blackpool 10.34 2,033 0.00 0 4.63 5 0.00 0 11.96 86 10.68 1,923 5.04 7
Bolton 8.34 4,393 1.92 261 4.67 161 0.85 2 6.42 166 11.83 3,703 5.79 65
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 8.79 4,633 0.91 17 5.02 27 0.00 0 7.77 261 9.20 4,137 7.58 56
Bracknell Forest 6.18 1,153 2.23 27 3.00 17 0.66 1 7.40 90 6.71 1,012 0.72 1
Bradford 10.32 10,362 7.65 3,258 5.16 100 1.03 1 16.19 1,047 12.31 5,654 4.10 76
Brent 3.42 1,639 1.16 173 6.26 572 2.91 3 4.17 159 3.12 387 4.40 274
Brighton and Hove 4.88 1,532 1.87 22 4.61 31 3.40 8 4.51 147 5.14 1,272 1.60 15
Bristol, City of 10.62 6,531 4.31 208 11.94 757 1.02 4 15.75 910 10.05 4,220 6.92 65
Bromley 5.65 3,004 0.80 33 6.77 391 0.52 4 7.61 490 5.72 1,942 4.70 37
Buckinghamshire 4.00 3,519 2.62 468 5.49 144 0.22 1 6.21 447 4.13 2,392 3.63 26
Bury 7.43 2,169 3.43 155 5.99 51 0.00 0 8.80 146 8.32 1,767 3.01 14
Calderdale 10.88 3,986 7.60 507 15.43 56 0.00 0 10.86 182 11.69 3,204 9.21 21
Cambridgeshire 6.22 5,561 2.27 89 8.52 117 0.69 6 6.96 397 6.44 4,796 2.44 23
Camden 4.07 893 1.70 70 5.65 218 0.00 0 4.71 140 4.10 344 2.90 51
Central Bedfordshire 5.36 2,500 0.74 11 7.77 96 0.00 0 7.05 237 5.32 2,096 3.15 9
Cheshire East 6.24 3,506 1.51 19 1.47 6 0.91 3 4.85 113 6.23 3,152 4.12 15
Cheshire West and Chester 5.00 2,573 0.78 7 3.31 12 1.24 3 4.58 75 5.15 2,451 2.81 8
City of London 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0
Cornwall 6.23 4,636 3.28 9 2.67 2 3.45 4 4.77 91 6.31 4,450 6.06 14
County Durham 6.45 4,733 1.00 7 2.08 7 0.82 2 5.76 75 6.57 4,615 3.28 12
Coventry 7.56 4,406 2.09 260 6.34 488 0.76 2 11.72 506 9.66 3,060 3.15 39
Croydon 5.13 2,945 1.86 175 8.55 1,357 0.31 1 6.44 582 3.22 637 4.39 66
Cumbria 6.29 4,421 2.97 15 4.93 10 2.04 3 5.51 75 6.20 4,087 4.96 14
Darlington 11.11 1,774 0.89 5 1.88 3 0.00 0 9.26 39 11.71 1,703 2.16 3
Derby 6.94 3,047 2.07 182 4.03 82 1.44 3 7.55 261 8.68 2,392 3.92 43
Derbyshire 8.04 8,718 2.01 28 4.38 24 0.31 1 9.66 354 8.04 8,130 7.12 22
Devon 9.29 9,366 2.35 19 7.35 20 4.53 12 9.47 253 9.43 8,902 1.59 15
Doncaster 20.18 9,660 2.18 37 15.64 122 0.47 1 15.03 256 21.25 9,027 29.04 167
Dorset 6.71 3,250 1.78 9 4.70 7 3.37 3 7.50 105 6.73 3,057 2.90 4
Dudley 6.60 3,154 3.50 174 8.16 115 0.00 0 12.34 466 6.37 2,271 6.16 57
Ealing 3.10 1,673 1.23 199 6.98 509 0.33 1 4.64 236 2.60 399 3.13 281
East Riding of Yorkshire 5.59 2,547 1.96 5 1.06 1 0.00 0 3.38 37 5.68 2,460 2.03 6
East Sussex 8.77 5,949 2.81 40 7.07 39 0.53 1 7.41 272 9.00 5,451 7.90 29
Enfield 4.70 2,657 1.98 93 6.06 745 0.84 2 5.90 373 4.41 1,215 2.91 96
Essex 6.91 15,121 1.72 136 6.10 497 0.82 8 7.88 968 7.16 13,132 2.21 42
Gateshead 7.99 2,300 3.09 25 4.25 28 0.00 0 4.76 37 8.34 2,099 2.58 20
Gloucestershire 5.85 5,309 1.55 57 7.85 122 2.73 9 9.35 444 5.78 4,512 11.24 48
Greenwich 5.22 2,296 1.17 47 5.85 774 1.10 7 4.44 240 6.07 1,126 2.16 28
Hackney 6.82 2,330 3.67 145 9.73 1,076 0.86 2 8.67 370 4.88 586 5.16 113
Halton 4.94 940 1.25 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 4.70 28 5.05 901 0.00 0
Hammersmith and Fulham 5.56 1,128 2.78 43 7.29 307 3.47 5 7.55 220 4.45 363 4.93 121
Hampshire 5.97 10,889 1.43 94 4.99 132 0.24 2 5.21 435 6.22 10,044 3.95 45
Haringey 4.96 1,879 1.48 34 7.63 613 0.55 2 5.93 291 3.75 677 4.17 127
Harrow 2.62 1,007 1.56 295 5.88 197 0.72 2 3.47 112 2.56 255 5.88 118
Hartlepool 14.18 2,165 0.30 1 17.60 22 0.00 0 2.26 5 14.95 2,134 2.00 2
Havering 4.52 1,872 1.21 54 5.11 227 0.77 2 6.46 227 4.69 1,294 5.68 26
Herefordshire, County of 5.47 1,289 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 4.26 30 5.63 1,252 0.68 1
Hertfordshire 4.75 9,457 1.81 326 5.84 535 0.45 7 6.28 1,031 4.88 7,262 4.68 107
Hillingdon 3.84 2,018 1.40 223 5.81 299 0.63 1 4.02 271 5.27 1,003 3.74 171
Hounslow 4.83 2,190 1.43 233 6.83 319 0.64 1 8.28 362 7.39 1,020 3.73 188
Isle of Wight 7.51 1,265 0.75 1 6.85 5 0.00 0 6.62 47 7.68 1,204 0.00 0
Isles of Scilly 0.00 0 NA NA NA NA NA NA 0.00 0 0.00 0 NA NA
Islington 9.48 2,257 2.46 50 11.53 622 0.00 0 12.54 527 9.35 927 6.05 111
Kensington and Chelsea 5.37 718 2.36 14 6.98 161 0.00 0 6.59 168 4.47 221 5.33 125
Kent 5.14 12,666 1.28 150 4.16 388 0.88 10 4.69 718 5.45 11,057 3.69 107
Kingston upon Hull, City of 8.97 3,797 1.68 12 2.50 27 3.33 2 8.21 143 9.36 3,429 3.57 48
Kingston upon Thames 1.60 430 0.97 48 4.67 38 0.00 0 1.91 60 1.54 234 1.78 29
Kirklees 8.85 5,961 4.24 799 7.52 117 0.00 0 15.28 757 10.43 4,161 4.04 37
Knowsley 6.71 1,424 0.00 0 5.00 12 0.00 0 6.69 40 6.86 1,348 0.00 0
Lambeth 4.58 1,672 2.06 39 7.05 1,005 1.06 2 4.92 274 2.20 249 2.69 57
Lancashire 7.12 12,502 4.29 906 4.52 55 1.40 7 8.16 529 7.38 10,559 3.48 46
Leeds 8.47 10,977 5.04 809 5.79 598 0.32 3 10.52 990 9.24 8,118 3.29 92
Leicester 4.71 2,798 1.79 496 4.21 239 0.00 0 8.98 400 8.27 1,561 4.45 72
Leicestershire 5.30 5,329 1.45 128 3.14 47 0.00 0 7.62 425 5.62 4,658 6.00 29
Lewisham 5.25 2,018 0.99 22 8.22 1,031 0.39 2 6.57 423 2.99 406 1.87 28
Lincolnshire 7.68 8,310 1.60 32 4.60 37 0.32 1 7.55 284 7.79 7,714 1.30 9
Liverpool 8.04 6,114 2.11 74 6.41 261 1.24 14 7.36 324 8.84 5,123 4.44 182
Luton 4.40 1,746 2.87 541 5.02 196 3.57 3 7.38 265 5.91 701 3.34 29
Manchester 7.97 7,291 2.87 646 5.77 903 0.28 3 10.06 881 12.54 4,320 5.29 392
Medway 7.87 3,840 0.93 26 3.90 181 0.57 1 8.12 276 8.96 3,280 1.27 7
Merton 2.61 730 0.55 30 4.37 162 0.51 2 3.23 112 2.88 390 2.44 22
Middlesbrough 27.41 6,952 4.13 114 4.80 41 0.00 0 15.59 233 33.61 6,405 8.40 80
Milton Keynes 7.85 3,900 1.76 121 5.53 382 0.98 6 8.40 377 9.58 2,779 5.63 31
Newcastle upon Tyne 12.85 5,365 4.53 247 7.47 186 0.00 0 8.16 192 15.68 4,568 7.31 110
Newham 3.05 1,931 1.62 498 5.01 606 0.29 1 5.59 270 3.92 431 2.91 96
Norfolk 7.67 9,046 0.82 17 5.86 90 0.62 3 8.44 370 7.80 8,248 2.35 24
North East Lincolnshire 8.40 2,025 0.48 1 5.19 7 0.00 0 5.44 37 8.63 1,929 6.88 15
North Lincolnshire 9.47 2,346 1.63 15 8.52 15 32.69 17 4.30 24 10.02 2,250 3.26 11
North Northamptonshire 7.76 4,296 1.12 23 3.28 82 0.00 0 12.05 371 8.00 3,731 4.10 19
North Somerset 5.19 1,620 3.86 16 4.31 10 0.00 0 5.51 66 5.21 1,506 4.40 4
North Tyneside 5.38 1,673 0.86 7 4.00 10 0.46 1 4.40 42 5.57 1,582 2.88 6
North Yorkshire 6.45 5,341 2.69 44 2.81 13 0.40 1 7.89 185 6.53 5,008 1.28 6
Northumberland 9.17 4,179 0.96 6 13.04 12 0.00 0 6.82 63 9.39 4,074 2.67 5
Nottingham 16.08 7,725 4.15 365 8.15 483 0.90 3 21.40 1,414 21.80 5,138 5.66 101
Nottinghamshire 7.50 9,478 1.72 67 4.56 95 0.52 6 7.04 464 7.80 8,493 3.02 29
Oldham 5.38 2,451 2.49 373 2.90 63 0.00 0 8.60 210 7.00 1,714 4.17 24
Oxfordshire 6.66 6,555 2.80 177 8.51 227 0.18 1 10.19 741 6.66 5,179 4.19 68
Peterborough 9.21 3,674 7.40 506 6.86 131 0.00 0 9.77 306 9.78 2,545 5.29 36
Plymouth 10.05 3,939 1.45 8 1.31 6 1.10 2 5.25 69 10.58 3,755 2.71 18
Portsmouth 6.51 1,772 0.78 15 1.77 21 0.00 0 8.91 132 7.20 1,544 3.14 16
Reading 5.60 1,321 1.81 110 6.76 137 0.22 1 10.87 302 6.57 725 2.90 15
Redbridge 3.83 2,232 2.88 943 7.67 408 0.50 2 5.58 263 4.19 550 3.04 29
Redcar and Cleveland 24.22 5,210 6.90 14 13.64 6 0.00 0 15.43 83 24.37 4,954 13.53 18
Richmond upon Thames 3.31 943 1.68 41 7.32 59 0.00 0 3.55 120 3.30 641 3.56 31
Rochdale 10.22 3,829 2.86 272 5.59 112 0.70 1 10.13 217 13.72 3,119 3.51 19
Rotherham 9.55 4,275 3.10 113 6.73 52 0.00 0 10.66 170 10.23 3,877 4.09 17
Rutland 3.90 231 0.00 0 2.53 2 0.00 0 6.90 14 3.86 210 7.41 2
Salford 12.08 4,534 1.12 14 4.80 128 0.00 0 5.55 196 14.48 4,028 3.44 45
Sandwell 4.79 2,977 2.21 431 5.82 364 0.00 0 7.04 418 5.86 1,616 2.90 48
Sefton 3.84 1,540 0.72 4 3.48 11 0.00 0 3.57 43 3.94 1,469 2.29 10
Sheffield 10.40 8,682 5.14 536 7.56 437 0.32 2 14.54 1,022 11.17 6,136 6.78 219
Shropshire 8.08 3,203 2.27 11 11.49 20 1.27 1 14.27 161 7.81 2,886 3.41 3
Slough 3.82 1,263 1.60 277 7.47 177 0.00 0 4.34 163 7.63 587 2.09 28
Solihull 6.22 2,512 2.62 146 11.17 107 0.32 2 11.46 407 6.17 1,770 2.91 12
Somerset 11.39 8,185 2.37 27 7.24 27 4.26 6 10.81 229 11.70 7,791 4.84 15
South Gloucestershire 8.43 3,398 1.24 21 11.33 110 1.24 5 13.16 310 8.30 2,832 4.46 14
South Tyneside 4.40 988 2.73 24 2.59 5 0.00 0 2.16 15 4.57 928 0.00 0
Southampton 5.78 1,930 1.77 80 6.18 83 0.43 1 4.77 116 6.79 1,629 1.11 8
Southend-on-Sea 5.37 1,662 1.55 46 3.78 75 1.51 3 4.58 98 6.13 1,407 4.72 15
Southwark 4.93 2,096 1.50 35 6.77 1,120 0.79 4 5.24 294 3.37 426 3.60 114
St. Helens 6.84 1,860 0.28 1 2.54 5 1.89 2 4.80 29 7.08 1,814 1.05 2
Staffordshire 6.60 8,099 4.07 224 8.45 88 1.39 5 9.39 474 6.58 7,169 3.86 27
Stockport 7.03 3,034 2.58 91 11.48 77 0.00 0 8.21 215 7.39 2,576 5.44 29
Stockton-on-Tees 10.86 3,496 3.17 56 1.98 10 2.20 2 9.36 106 11.54 3,262 12.12 28
Stoke-on-Trent 12.83 5,209 7.59 513 6.71 118 1.59 3 13.09 293 14.71 4,205 7.10 66
Suffolk 7.62 7,920 1.68 34 6.60 74 5.21 5 7.75 478 7.61 6,890 4.37 49
Sunderland 8.05 3,261 1.63 28 1.32 9 0.00 0 5.43 47 8.54 3,135 7.78 13
Surrey 4.95 7,988 1.92 239 4.19 146 1.23 15 5.55 653 5.17 6,587 3.88 71
Sutton 4.86 1,976 1.29 126 7.31 238 0.57 7 5.24 224 6.26 1,280 3.12 29
Swindon 6.13 2,235 0.88 43 2.20 29 0.67 1 10.14 224 7.05 1,906 3.42 15
Tameside 14.69 5,489 3.92 175 7.16 79 3.08 6 13.06 297 16.80 4,791 10.62 41
Telford and Wrekin 11.86 3,714 3.59 89 3.75 58 0.68 1 9.02 173 13.63 3,331 7.04 10
Thurrock 4.99 1,541 1.11 26 3.32 152 0.61 1 4.53 104 5.83 1,195 2.24 9
Torbay 10.73 2,165 0.79 2 2.78 1 1.35 1 8.46 60 11.06 2,075 0.83 1
Tower Hamlets 2.80 1,288 1.68 508 4.80 208 0.79 2 5.15 177 5.77 344 2.98 41
Trafford 3.58 1,554 1.23 83 4.68 88 0.33 5 5.52 208 4.04 1,121 1.00 12
Wakefield 13.15 7,117 6.34 147 6.98 69 0.00 0 12.03 235 13.67 6,476 2.18 12
Walsall 4.22 2,216 2.56 324 5.14 173 0.43 1 6.97 273 4.42 1,374 4.60 36
Waltham Forest 4.37 1,847 2.18 225 8.94 637 0.90 3 5.95 324 3.46 587 3.19 52
Wandsworth 3.33 1,115 1.37 79 5.95 393 0.00 0 5.06 242 2.23 304 2.99 49
Warrington 5.27 1,721 3.51 42 6.98 22 0.15 1 5.56 67 5.34 1,525 7.17 22
Warwickshire 6.89 5,976 0.95 59 4.72 70 0.23 1 7.60 365 7.35 5,264 4.63 37
West Berkshire 6.00 1,603 1.16 14 8.45 36 0.00 0 9.76 148 5.99 1,371 0.72 2
West Northamptonshire 7.14 4,741 1.72 71 6.17 278 0.80 2 10.57 501 7.09 3,623 4.30 23
West Sussex 5.45 6,368 2.29 149 5.89 115 3.09 10 6.47 428 5.56 5,512 3.67 31
Westminster 5.84 1,278 2.92 90 10.21 420 1.12 3 6.98 175 3.57 200 6.18 346
Wigan 6.62 3,166 1.63 14 2.43 21 0.00 0 6.45 89 6.84 2,982 6.54 40
Wiltshire 6.79 4,785 2.49 39 6.41 78 0.43 1 9.29 249 6.80 4,243 5.54 32
Windsor and Maidenhead 4.86 1,093 2.91 102 7.12 27 0.00 0 4.24 94 5.21 806 8.63 36
Wirral 5.28 2,685 0.87 13 2.45 7 0.64 2 6.59 109 5.42 2,523 4.89 15
Wokingham 1.78 517 0.77 35 3.49 35 1.24 8 1.86 43 1.90 373 1.14 4
Wolverhampton 5.61 2,698 1.77 221 6.51 377 0.00 0 10.00 587 6.33 1,426 4.76 35
Worcestershire 5.72 4,689 3.73 122 6.05 38 2.91 5 8.73 301 5.67 4,103 1.45 6
York 7.89 2,012 0.33 2 1.62 3 1.32 2 7.00 67 8.29 1,900 1.52 3

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and local authority’ (CSV)

Summary of Suspensions By ethnicity and local authority Summary

Data for the Chinese ethnic group is based on small numbers of suspensions, so generalisations are not reliable.

The data shows that:

  • the overall suspension rate was highest in Middlesbrough (2,741 for every 10,000 pupils, or 27.41) and Redcar and Cleveland (2,422 for every 10,000 pupils, or 24.22)
  • for Asian pupils, the highest suspension rate was in Bradford – 765 for every 10,000 pupils, or 7.65
  • for black pupils, the highest suspension rate was in Hartlepool – 1,760 for every 10,000 pupils, or 17.60 – however, this figure is based on a small number of pupils
  • for white pupils, the highest suspension rate was in Middlesbrough – 3,361 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 33.61
  • for pupils from a mixed ethnic background, the highest rate was in Nottingham – 2,140 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, 21.40
  • for pupils from the 'other' ethnic group, the highest rate was in Doncaster – 2,904 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils, or 29.04

7. By ethnicity and reason

Location:
England
Time period:
2021 to 2022 school year
Source:
Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England
Percentage and number of suspensions, by ethnicity and reason
All Asian Black Chinese Mixed White Other
Reason All % All Number Asian % Asian Number Black % Black Number Chinese % Chinese Number Mixed % Mixed Number White % White Number Other % Other Number
Abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity 0.4 2,601 0.7 203 0.4 152 0.7 3 0.4 224 0.4 1,896 0.6 51
Abuse relating to disability 0.0 250 0.0 13 0.0 12 0.0 0 0.0 16 0.0 202 0.0 2
Bullying 1.1 7,194 2.0 594 1.8 650 2.1 9 1.1 585 0.9 5,019 1.6 139
Damage 3.2 21,536 3.0 882 2.8 1,004 4.3 18 3.4 1,716 3.2 17,215 2.8 243
Drug and alcohol related 3.4 22,714 5.7 1,681 3.3 1,182 5.2 22 3.7 1,869 3.2 17,037 4.0 350
Inappropriate use of social media or online technology 1.5 10,319 3.5 1,020 3.1 1,125 5.2 22 1.8 923 1.3 6,715 2.9 249
Persistent disruptive behaviour 42.8 289,617 27.1 7,994 29.3 10,527 18.9 80 38.4 19,641 45.2 242,145 31.8 2,765
Physical assault against a pupil 15.1 102,408 25.8 7,606 25.1 8,998 23.4 99 18.0 9,201 13.4 71,730 24.4 2,123
Physical assault against an adult 5.8 38,986 4.5 1,327 7.1 2,556 9.0 38 6.6 3,366 5.7 30,482 4.9 424
Racist abuse 1.4 9,452 2.6 753 1.6 568 4.7 20 1.2 602 1.3 7,097 2.0 177
Sexual misconduct 0.9 6,384 1.8 531 2.2 775 2.1 9 1.0 512 0.8 4,240 1.8 157
Theft 0.8 5,352 1.3 372 2.0 722 2.4 10 1.0 489 0.7 3,489 1.5 130
Use or threat of use of an offensive weapon or prohibited item 1.9 13,170 4.2 1,235 2.6 950 5.4 23 2.2 1,104 1.7 9,200 3.3 283
Verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour against a pupil 4.7 31,648 5.9 1,744 6.6 2,353 5.4 23 5.6 2,879 4.4 23,375 5.8 503
Verbal abuse/ threatening behaviour against an adult 16.6 112,615 11.4 3,359 11.4 4,110 11.1 47 15.3 7,838 17.5 93,586 12.2 1,063
Wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health 0.4 2,472 0.7 198 0.6 231 0.0 0 0.4 208 0.3 1,727 0.5 44

Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and reason’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and reason’ (CSV)

Summary of Suspensions By ethnicity and reason Summary

The data shows the number of suspensions by reason. From the 2020 to 2021 school year, up to 3 reasons were recorded for each suspension. The sum of the number of reasons does not match the total number of suspensions. Percentages for each ethnic group are calculated out of the sum of reasons for that ethnic group, not all pupils.

Data for the Chinese ethnic group is based on small numbers of suspensions, so generalisations are not reliable.

The data shows that:

  • overall, the most common reasons for suspensions were persistent disruptive behaviour (42.8%), physical assault against a pupil (15.1%), and verbal abuse or threatening behaviour against an adult (16.6%)
  • the least common reasons for suspensions were abuse relating to disability (less than 0.0%), wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health (0.4%) and abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity (0.4%)
  • persistent disruptive behaviour was the most common reason why white pupils (45.3%), black pupils (29.3%), Asian pupils (27.1%) and pupils from the mixed ethnic group (38.4%) were suspended

8. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Administrative data

Type of statistic

National Statistics

Publisher

Department for Education

Publication frequency

Yearly

Purpose of data source

The data helps schools, local authorities and the government have a greater understanding of the level of exclusions and suspensions and the reasons for them.

9. Download the data

Suspensions national 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 224 KB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, type_of_school, value (suspension rate), value_type, numerator (number of suspensions), denominator (pupils)

Suspensions reasons 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 54 KB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, reason (for suspension), value (percentage), value_type, numerator, denominator

Suspensions local authority 2021/22 - Spreadsheet (csv) 2 MB

This file contains the following variables: measure, time, time_type, geography, geography_type, geography_code, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, type_of_school, value (suspension rate), value_type, numerator (number of suspensions), denominator (pupils)

Publication release date: 8 February 2024

full page history
  1. Updated with data for the 2021 to 2022 school year. Some data for 2011 to 2012 was revised.

From: Department for Education

Previous editions:
  1. Edition published on 7 February 2023
  2. Edition published on 4 September 2020
  3. Edition published on 1 April 2019
  4. Edition published on 1 March 2018
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