England suspensions fall for first time since Covid pandemic
Suspensions in England fell to 10.88 per 100 pupils in 2024/25, the first annual drop since Covid. But the rate still sits far above the 2.17 level seen before the pandemic.
England’s suspension rate fell for the first time since the Covid pandemic, but the latest national figures still leave schools far above pre-pandemic levels. The Department for Education said the rate dropped to 10.88 suspensions per 100 pupils in the 2024/25 academic year, down from 11.31 a year earlier.
That translated into 913,000 suspensions across state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, a 4% fall from 955,000 in 2023/24. Permanent exclusions also eased, slipping from 0.13 to 0.12 per 100 pupils, with 9,900 exclusions in 2024/25, down 9% from 10,900 the year before.
The decline is the first annual fall after several years of post-pandemic increases, but it does not yet amount to a return to normal. Autumn-term data published in November 2025 showed suspensions had already eased in one term, with a rate of 4.02 per 100 pupils in autumn 2024/25 compared with 4.13 the previous autumn. Even so, that figure remained well above the 2.17 rate recorded in autumn 2019, before Covid disrupted attendance, behaviour and classroom routines.
The Department for Education has paired the data with a fresh statutory guidance update on suspensions and permanent exclusions, issued on 15 June and due to take effect on 26 July 2026. The guidance applies to maintained schools, academies, free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges, alternative provision academies and pupil referral units. It keeps suspension and exclusion framed as last-resort behaviour tools, while the Education Hub says children sent home can miss learning and fall further behind.
The latest release matters because the burden of exclusion and suspension has never been evenly shared. The annual statistics include breakdowns by pupil characteristics, school type, reason, duration and local area, giving a fuller picture of where the pressure is still concentrated. That detail will matter in judging whether the latest drop marks a genuine turning point, or only a pause after a post-pandemic surge that still has the highest-risk pupils bearing the brunt.
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