More than a quarter of pupils attending mainstream secondary schools on the Isle of Wight have faced suspension.
The Island’s 26.9% rate was highlighted at the recent children’s services, education and skills committee (CSESC) meeting, with Green Party councillor Joe Lever asking the chamber: “What’s going on there, what’s not working?”
CSESC’s Conservative chair Councillor Paul Brading said the figure ‘stands out like a sore thumb’.
A 2024/25 council report published prior to Thursday’s CSESC meeting (14th August) showed contrasting outcomes for the Isle of Wight’s mainstream primary and secondary schools.
County Hall’s report gave a 3.27 per 100 pupils suspension rate for primaries.
It said the suspension rates are for academic year 2023/24, with 2024/25 figures due to be published in the summer of 2026.
Cllr Lever said:
“Previously I was on the scrutiny iteration of this committee – I remember a meeting, we were talking about a focus on trying to bring down suspensions in schools because it was seen as not the ideal outcome to be happening.
Article continues below this advertisement “However, across primary, secondary and special, there’s an increase in suspensions, particularly in secondary.”
Cllr Brading said:
“When I looked at this data, the thing that stood out to me was not so much the primaries…but the secondary school suspensions are horrendous…you’re right, that figure stands out like a sore thumb.”
Kay Jones, council officer, stood in for director of children’s services Ashley Whittaker, currently on annual leave. She said she would take it back as a question, for a written response.
Alliance independent councillor for Cowes West and Gurnard Paul Fuller said:
“What is of concern to me is that schools might find it easier to suspend children rather than have to pick up the impact that allowing them to go through exams would have.
“I want some kind of reassurance, Kay, that the suspensions are done as a very, very last resort. Sometimes when you’re a governor, it’s quite easy to suspend a child from school because they are disruptive and they are not achieving at the levels that they are expected to achieve.
“What worries me is that it can be seen as being an easy option.”
Ms Jones thanked Cllr Fuller for his question and said:
“The reassurance I will give you is that school attendance is our priority. That includes in all its forms. I know that our education, inclusion and access colleagues are addressing those children who are educated other than at school.
“Also, looking at attendance in its broadest sense and any exclusions whether they be temporary suspensions or wider. What I don’t have is the detail.
“We’ll get a letter of response before we go back to the new school term.”
Most recent figures show 75.68% of primary schools being graded good or better by Ofsted, compared to only 50% of secondary schools.
The inspectorate stopped using overall effectiveness grades as part of its reports in September 2024.
All it shows is that the kids are causing trouble, and threatening teachers, so yes, suspend them, I remember councillor brading when he was at school being a bit of a trouble maker way back.
Bring back the cane.
Perhpas if the parents taught the kids, meaning they wouldnt be so feral then it wouldn’t be an issue.
the other kids shouldn’t be inconvenienced and held back because of the feral slop the teachers are served up with daily.
natural selection will prevail – the best and brightest will succeed and the feral slop will be either in jail or part of the welfare dependent social underclass
The problem is children are having children.
Many children are from unmarried families so
there is no stability at home, many of their mothers
have more partners than hot dinners, it must confuse the
children.
Back in the good old days, couples courted then got
married, then had children, nowdays that does not
happen.
All children from problem families should be sent to
the same school, the children who know right from
wrong should be sent to another school.
The mix will never work, it will affect the children
who want to learn, it will slow down their progress
which is sadly no fault of their own.
I wonder if the council have thought to look at whether those children being frequently suspended also have additional needs that are not being adequately supported in a mainstream environment? My experience is that a lot of those ‘disruptive’ students who face suspension are neurodivergent who are unable to access support due to limited SEN school places and constant pushback from the council in issuing EHCPs.
Yep, another apologist for bad behaviour, everyone is to some extent ,neurodivergent, that is why we are all different, it is no excuse for what we used to call little git syndrome, and yes it all starts in the home environment, but these days the more you can claim your child has issues the more you can claim from the welfare system.
We are certainly not all neurodivergent. We used to chuck all kids with additional needs into institutions too, do you think we should go back to that?
It’s nothing to do with claiming from the welfare system; it’s about the council not providing adequate funding to provide these children with the support they need to access a good education.
Factually we all neurodivergent, look up the meaning of the word, it does not mean we have to be troublesome, disruptive or violent.
It amazes me that the councillors are going for the easy option, making statements that will get them the most press and not addressing the causes of these suspensions, high on the percentage list are violence towards teaching staff and fellow pupils followed by disruptive and destructive behaviour in class. It only takes one incident to ruin the learning of the whole class but the councillors wish to protect the small minority, and you wonder why the attainent levels are so low on the island.,