Responsding to new research from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) linking pupil suspensions to lower GCSE grades. Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“Schools only use suspensions and exclusions as a last resort to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

“They work hard to help children secure support with challenges in their lives – but there are often long waiting lists for community services or help is simply not available.

“This can have a huge impact on both families and schools, affecting children’s behaviour and wellbeing, as well as their academic achievement.

“As this report points out, suspensions themselves do not necessarily cause worse grades – the picture is far more complex than that with suspension rates and lower GCSE grades being driven by a range of complex and common causes.

“We need to see the government invest far more in the support services that sit around schools which should be there to support children and families to get early help before problems become entrenched and harder to solve."