At King’s Leadership Academy in Warrington, no pupils have been suspended or excluded since the school opened 13 years ago, highlighting a rare approach amid rising suspension rates across England. Principal Umar Hussain attributes this record to a firm commitment to maintaining “professionalism” and prioritizing lessons, emphasizing that removing students from class sends the wrong message about the value of education.

King’s Leadership Academy is among a small group of schools in England to have recorded zero out-of-school suspensions during the 2024-25 academic year—a figure that has declined significantly over the last decade. While only 42 state secondary schools reported no suspensions in 2024-25, with many being selective grammar or specialty institutions, King’s stands out as a non-selective school maintaining this stance. The national average was 225 suspensions per school, with some institutions reporting thousands; Buile Hill Academy in Salford recorded the highest number at 2,754 suspensions that year. The Northern Education Trust, which took control of Buile Hill in 2024, described these high suspension levels as a “temporary and necessary” measure during a period of rapid school transformation.

At King’s, Hussain explains that poor behaviour is addressed through additional teaching rather than exclusion. Students who repeatedly break rules attend weekend detentions and participate in restorative conversations rather than being sent home. The school fosters a calm environment starting each day with ten minutes of silent reading involving the entire student body. In 2022, the academy was recognized by the Department for Education’s Behaviour Hubs programme to advise other schools on effective behaviour strategies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to a surge in suspension use nationally, partly due to challenges with students’ behaviour regulation after lockdowns. Remote work and online learning also made suspensions more feasible, as children could be sent home without missing lessons entirely. Meanwhile, schools face growing demands related to special educational needs with limited resources.

The government has advocated for “internal” suspensions, where pupils are removed from lessons but remain in school, to minimize lost learning and reduce exposure to unsupervised online activity. Tom Bennett, the Department for Education’s lead adviser on behaviour, supports this approach but cautions against celebrating schools that avoid suspensions altogether, noting the risks of disorder and the need to protect the majority of pupils’ safety and learning. Bennett compared critiquing schools with high suspension rates to criticizing hospitals for having more deaths than cinemas.

This perspective contrasts with that of some school leaders who have reduced or eliminated suspensions with reportedly positive outcomes. Chris Tooley, principal of Netherhall School in Cambridge, once suspended 300 pupils annually but has not sent any home in the past two years. Tooley credits improved behaviour to shifting focus from punishment to understanding children’s needs. He rejects claims that reduced suspensions lower standards or tolerate disruption, stating the opposite effect has occurred.

However, teachers’ unions such as NASUWT warn of an ongoing behaviour crisis, citing rising violence and misogyny towards staff. In the autumn term of 2024-25, suspensions for assaulting adults reached 16,000—exceeding totals from an entire year a decade earlier. Despite this, some principals remain skeptical about suspensions’ effectiveness. John McKee of Patcham High School in Brighton reported removing suspensions as a disciplinary option, seeing no evidence it reduces repeat offences. Jessica West, principal of Ark Walworth Academy in southeast London, acknowledges suspensions’ role in managing serious disruptions but avoided issuing any in 2024-25, noting the detrimental impact sending vulnerable students home can have, particularly in areas with high crime and limited family support.

The debate over suspension policies continues as schools balance disciplinary measures, student wellbeing, and the goal of minimizing missed education.