The shock number of South Tyneside school expulsions and suspensions - and it's on the rise

South Tyneside saw almost 70 permanent exclusions and more than 1,750 suspensions in schools last year, according to new figures.

A presentation from South Tyneside Council officers outlined how in the 2024-25 academic year 69 pupils in the borough were permanently excluded from schools.

They added the figure "has increased quite significantly" compared to previous years - with 54 recorded in 2023-24 and 44 in 2022-23.

Elsewhere in 2024/25 in the borough 1,769 fixed-term suspensions occurred, up from 1,329 the previous year and 1,058 in 2022/23.

Figures were also provided for the 2025/26 academic year up to February half-term - with 32 permanent exclusions recorded and 907 suspensions.

Suspensions and exclusions are both ‘issues’ in South Tyneside

Council officers speaking at the latest meeting of the education and skills scrutiny committee said suspensions and exclusions are both issues they are working with schools on to try and address.

The top reason for exclusions in 2024-25 was "persistent disruptive behaviour" which accounted for 23 instances, followed by drug and/or alcohol incidents and assaulting another pupil, each with nine.

Verbal abuse and threats to adults was the cause of exclusion in seven cases and assaulting adults in school was the reason for six exclusions.

Enid Fairbrother, council service manager for education and standards, said: "The number of children who are permanently excluded has increased quite significantly."

She added in the 2025-26 academic year 24% of exclusions have involved primary school pupils, which has risen, with the remaining 76% being secondary school students.

Ms Fairbrother continued: "That is a worrying figure, the prevalence of permanent exclusions from primary.”

The top reason for fix-term suspensions in South Tyneside in 2024-25 was also "persistent disruptive behaviour", which accounted for 793 cases.

Other common reasons were verbal abuse and threats to adults, which was the cause of 286 suspensions, followed by assaults on pupils with 237 and "repeated breaches of health protection policies" with 53.

Council officers also warned they are seeing more suspensions issued for vaping/smoking with 33 recorded in 2024/25 and 14 up to February half-term in 2025-26.

Ms Fairbrother added: “That has become more of an issue in the borough and obviously that is something that schools have been quite concerned about."

Primary school rises in suspensions also ‘rising’

Meanwhile, of the fixed-term suspensions in 2025/26 to date 92.4% have involved secondary school pupils, with 7.6% being primary pupils, while 67% are male and 33% female.

Concerns were again raised by local authority chiefs around the number "rising a little bit" in primary school because "in the past it's been very rare to see children in primary suspended".

Officers noted for both exclusions and suspensions they saw a spike in spring 2024-25 and they are doing work to explore why that happened.