The number of suspensions in Bolton schools reached a record high in the last academic year, new figures show. Following this a member of the National Education Union has said the numbers are "concerning." Department for Education figures show there were 6,472 suspensions in the 2022-23 academic year – the highest since records began for the area.
It was up from 4,393 suspensions the year before, and an increase from 3,846 in 2018-19, before the pandemic. Across England, suspensions rose 36 per cent from 578,300 in 2021-22 to 787,000 last year – the highest number on record. The number of permanent exclusions across the country also reached a record high at 9,376 in 2022-23, a rise of 44 per cent on the year before.
In Bolton, there were 109 permanent exclusions last year – up from 75 in 2021-22. More than half (55%) of all suspensions in England were among children eligible for free school meals, meaning their parent or carer is receiving one of several benefits. Of the suspensions in Bolton, 3,797, 59 per cent were for children eligible for free school meals.
The national figures also show children from Gypsy Roma backgrounds were more than three times as likely to receive a suspension, while kids from mixed white and black Caribbean backgrounds were 86 per cent more likely than average to be suspended. Of the children in Bolton, those from Irish backgrounds had the highest suspension rate at 26.5 per 100 students – 2.
2 times the area's average suspension rate of 12.