SCHOOLS in York suspended more pupils in the spring term last year than in any term since comparable records began, new figures show.

According to the latest Department for Education figures, 761 pupils in York were suspended from school in the 2021-22 spring term – up from 487 across the same time period in 2018-19, before the coronavirus pandemic.

This was the highest figure of any term since comparable figures began at the start of the 2016-17 academic year.

Nationally, 201,000 pupils were suspended in the 2021-22 spring term – up from 184,000 in the autumn and the highest on record.

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The Children's Society has said the rising number of suspensions is concerning, with poor behaviour often indicating children are suffering from unmet special education needs or larger issues outside of school, such as poor mental health or abuse.

Ebor Academy Trust operates seven schools in York – Robert Wilkinson in Strensall, Haxby Road, Park Grove, Lakeside, Osbaldwick, Hob Moor Community Primary and Hob Moor Oaks – and a further 17 across Selby, Hull, the East Riding and on the Yorkshire Coast.

The trust's safeguarding, behaviour and wellbeing lead, Rebecca McGuinn, said excluding pupils is always a last resort.

She said: "It is apparent that any increase being experienced in York around fixed term suspensions reflects national trends and at other local authorities.

"We work closely with City of York Council, and three other LAs, and look at providing creative solutions to minimise exclusion for children.

"There is without doubt significant pressure and strain on the system, that is leading schools to needing to use their powers to suspend. York does have a very strong fair access process, that unlike some other local authorities works to allow conversations to be had as a network to offer children support at an earlier point.

"With Ebor being a trust of primary schools, our exclusions are in fact down. We employ a graduated response, implement alternative provision and work to strategically identify our trends and patterns around suspensions so that we can reduce the likelihood of needing to use them."

The Association of School and College Leaders said the dramatic increase has not come out of the blue and said the underlying issues children experience have been "exacerbated by the erosion of local support services, and the inadequacy of education funding".

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: "Schools, as ever, are left picking up the pieces, doing their best to support and keep pupils in school, but also having to reluctantly resort to suspensions in order to maintain a suitable learning environment for all their pupils.

"It is an invidious position, and the answer lies with the Government to improve the funding for schools and local services. This is not unachievable, but it is a political choice."