Cornwall schools RANKED for suspensions and exclusions

A secondary school in Cornwall has suspended pupils more than 650 times in one year and one tiny primary school has suspended youngsters 10 times - and only has just over a dozen pupils. New figures reveal the scale of suspensions and exclusions in our schools as they hit a record high across the country.

Record numbers of children were temporarily removed from Cornwall’s state schools in the 2022/23 academic year. There were a total of 7,539 suspensions in our county, up 63 per cent on 4,636 suspensions in the previous 12 months, and more than double the 2,711 suspensions in the last full year before the pandemic.

The table for the 2022/2023 academic year for state-funded schools shows that Launceston College, the birthplace of the controversial Athena Learning Trust, with 1,389 kids, suspended pupils 669 times. This was the equivalent of 48.2 suspensions per 100 pupils - although obviously not meaning nearly half of them were suspended as many would be the same kids suspended multiple times. It excluded six kids in that time, and has a 'good' Ofsted rating.

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Perhaps more surprisingly, 177-pupil Pensans Community Primary School in Penzance, last rated 'requires improvement by Ofsted, which suspended children 38 times - a rate of 21.5 suspensions per 100 pupils - and excluded three children. After that is Delaware Primary Academy, with 172 pupils and part of the same Bridge Schools Trust as Gunnislake and is also 'good', with 33 suspensions - 19.2 per 100 kids - and no exclusions.

Third among primaries was Tregolls Academy in Truro, with 37 suspensions - a rate of 12 per 100 pupils at the school with 309 pupils and an 'inadequate' Ofsted rating. It made no exclusions.

The highest rate of suspensions by overall pupil numbers in primaries was Gunnislake Primary Academy, which suspended children 10 just times in that year - which is equivalent to 76.9 per 100 pupils as the school, which is rated 'good' in its last Ofsted inspection, is attended by only 13 youngsters. It didn't exclude anyone that year.

In secondary schools, 'good' Ofsted-rated Penair at Truro came next. It has 1,148 pupils and made 444 suspensions in 2022/23, equivalent to 38.7 per 100 youngsters. It excluded four of them.

Just below that in pure numbers is Falmouth School, with 441 suspensions, equal to 46.7 per 100 of its 945 pupils. It excluded five children that year and has a most recent Ofsted rating of 'requires improvement'.

Next in straight numbers were Camborne Science and International Academy, which caused huge controversy among parents when it joined the Athena Learning Trust, with 371 suspensions (19.8 per 100) and 12 exclusions, the most in Cornwall, and Treviglas Academy at Newquay, suspending 371 (39.8 per 100) and excluding nine.

Going by rates, after Gunnislake, Launceston and Falmouth came Fowey River Academy at 42 per 100 - a total of 245 with five expelled.

The interactive tool lets you check your childrens' school and any school in Cornwall - or the whole country. Search 'Cornwall' or a town name to narrow it down or individual school names.

"A behaviour crisis which schools are struggling to contain," is how one teaching union leader describes the soaring number of suspensions in our schools. The situation in Cornwall reflects that of the country as a whole.

Nationally, there were a record number of suspensions in state-run schools in England during the 2022/23 academic year. A total of 787,000 suspensions were handed out at schools across the country, up from 578,300 in 2021/22.

It’s a rise of 36 per cent in the space of just a year, and a rise of 80 per cent from 2018/19, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic when there were 438,265 suspensions. The number of suspensions this year works out as 9.3 for every 100 pupils. That’s also a record, up from 6.9 per 100 pupils in 2021/22, and 5.4 per 100 in 2018/19.

There were also 9,400 permanent exclusions in the 2022/23 academic year. This is an increase from 6,500 in 2021/22 and is the highest recorded annual number of permanent exclusions. This is the equivalent of 11 permanent exclusions for every 10,000 pupils.

Minister Stephen Morgan said: “These shocking figures show the massive scale of disruptive behaviour that has developed in schools across the country in recent years under the previous government: it worsens working conditions for school staff, restricts learning and ultimately harms the life chances of children.

“Every pupil deserves to learn in a safe, calm classroom and we will always support our hard-working and dedicated teachers to make this happen.

“We are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour: we’ve already committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every secondary school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.

“But we know poor behaviour can also be rooted in wider issues, which is why the Government is developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty led by a taskforce co-chaired by the education secretary so that we can break down the barriers to opportunity.”

NASUWT union general secretary Patrick Roach said: “We have been witnessing a growing crisis in anti-social behaviour and violence in schools which has worsened considerably since the pandemic.

“The lack of appropriate in-school support and long waiting lists to access specialist services are contributing to a behaviour crisis which schools are struggling to contain.

“Instead of giving support to the classroom, teachers are being blamed for poor pupil behaviour whilst many employers fail to act to ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff working in schools.

“No teacher should expect to go to work and be punched, kicked or spat at. However, many teachers tell us they live in fear of violence and abuse.

“A failure to tackle violence and abuse in schools today will have long-lasting consequences for teacher recruitment and retention and for the education of children and young people.

“The Government must also do more to ensure there is zero tolerance of any abuse directed against teachers.

“The NASUWT will continue to take all steps possible to protect our members from violence and abuse at work. But, we need to see action from government to ensure all schools and colleges are safe and orderly environments for teachers to teach and for children and young people to learn.”