School hands out 200 suspensions in three weeks

Telegraph

7 days ago

A secondary school has issued more than 200 suspensions in three weeks as part of a crackdown on bad behaviour.
St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Merseyside introduced tough new pupil conduct rules earlier in July after the school was rated 'requires improvement' at its latest Ofsted inspection.
Clare McKenna, the headteacher, said the school was 'raising the bar in terms of what we expect of all our pupils', but said this had resulted in some teenagers 'testing the boundaries'.
The academy has handed out 202 suspensions so far in July, including 99 in the first week its behaviour shake-up came into effect.
A spokesman told The Telegraph that about 140 pupils had been sanctioned, with some given multiple suspensions. It means almost one in five pupils at the school has been suspended so far.
St Edmund Arrowsmith said it had received 'some push back from parents ' but that it had been forced to take action to help turn the school around.
Record suspension figures were published last week, sparking warnings of a worsening behaviour crisis across schools in England.
Almost a million suspensions were handed out in English schools in 2024 – a 21 per cent jump compared with 2022/23 – with a spike in sanctions for pupils assaulting their teachers, using racist language and frequently disturbing their peers.
The figures have split experts, with some suggesting they highlight consistent disruption following the pandemic and others believing they show schools deploy the only tool in their arsenal to tackle bad behaviour.
Mrs McKenna said her school 'spent a great deal of time' looking at how it could improve after it was awarded the second-lowest Ofsted rating at its latest inspection in April 2025.
The report highlighted an 'increase in poor behaviour during lessons and at breakdowns' and said some pupils had complained this was disrupting their work.
Ofsted gave the school a 'requires improvement' rating in every area of practice, including pupil behaviour, and said the problem was being fuelled by teachers failing to implement school rules.
Mrs McKenna said the school has since developed tougher disciplinary policies with the help of Education Exchange, a group of experts that share behaviour tips, which had led to the jump in suspensions.
'The vast majority of our young people should be applauded for how they have embraced these changes. The school is even calmer and more focused and the feedback we are getting from students is hugely positive,' she said.
'Inevitably, there are also some students who have pushed back and are testing the new boundaries of what is expected of them. This has led to a spike in the number of sanctions that have been given. But just two weeks in we are already seeing a significant drop of about two-thirds in things like short-term suspensions.'
St Edmund Arrowsmith handed out 67 suspensions in the second week of its new behaviour policy and 36 last week, and Mrs McKenna said she expected 'this trajectory to continue' as pupils get used to tougher rules.
'There has been some push back from parents, but this has been significantly outweighed by the number of positive comments we have received,' she added.
'Ultimately, we all want the very best for our brilliant pupils. Behaviour is improving, children are happier and learning is more focused.'
The Roman Catholic school, which has around 750 pupils aged 11 to 16, opened in 2021 and belongs to the Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy Trust. Roughly half of pupils are eligible for free school meals, but a spokesman said the majority of children suspended in recent weeks did not belong to this group.
Unions have frequently cited deteriorating pupil behaviour as a major driver for teachers leaving the profession.
The Telegraph revealed last week that local strike action by the National Education Union has risen seven-fold over the past five years, with escalating disputes over teaching conditions including violent pupil outbursts.
Parliament's Public Accounts Committee also warned last week that 'pupil behaviour is an escalating and concerning challenge' for teacher retention and that the Government did not appear to be taking it seriously enough.
The Department for Education is recruiting a behaviour tsar, although it has still not appointed anybody more than a fortnight after the role was due to begin.