THE suspension rate for pupils in schools across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole soared to the highest level on record in the last autumn term, new figures show.

An education minister has said suspensions and exclusions across England have "reached a crisis point", with the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on children's behaviour across England.

Department for Education figures show 5.1 suspensions per 100 pupils were handed out by schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the 2023-24 autumn term.

This was up from 3.5 per 100 pupils the year before and was the highest figure on record.

In the 2019-20 autumn term, when comparable records began, before the coronavirus pandemic, the suspension rate was 3.6 per 100 pupils.

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL, added: "There is clearly a very serious problem facing schools with rising incidents of challenging behaviour and in particular persistent disruptive behaviour, which is the most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions.

"This has become a great deal worse since the pandemic, where many children experienced disruption to their education and isolation that are continuing to have a lasting impact."

The figures also showed the number of permanent exclusions nationally rose by more than a third in the last year, with 4,168 handed out, including 36 in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union the NAHT, said: "While schools do their best to help pupils, they alone are not equipped to address these issues.

"But vital services like social care, children’s mental health and special educational needs provision have been cut or failed to keep pace with demand over the last decade."

Education minister Stephen Morgan said: "We have reached crisis point, but this government is determined to turn the tide on poor behaviour, break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

"We’ve already announced a significant £1 billion investment in SEND, committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, and our new regional improvement teams will work with schools to spread the highest standards of behaviour across our classrooms.

"But we know there is more to do, and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and drive up standards for all our children."