An education conference has been held on Teesside against a backdrop of rising suspensions and permanent exclusions in local schools.
The conference last week was organised by the South Tees Safeguarding Children Partnership in conjunction with Redcar and Cleveland Council, which attended along with Middlesbrough Council representatives.
It looked at support for pupils with a view to ensuring schools are inclusive as much as possible with a particular focus on youngsters with emotional and mental health needs, a student cohort often at risk of being removed from mainstream schools.
Education professionals from schools and agencies across the South Tees area took part in workshops at the event held at Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium and also heard directly from parents, young carers and children in care.
Figures for Redcar and Cleveland obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show substantial year-on-year increases in suspensions and permanent exclusions from the borough’s schools.
In 2023/24 there were 8,414 suspensions, up 17.4% on the 2022/23 figure of 7,164, which was a 34.2% rise on the total of 5,338 in 2021/22.
A significant chunk of the suspensions in the last 12 months involved youngsters in the Special Educational Needs (SEN) category (2,795), while a further 472 suspensions involved youngsters subject to Education, Health and Care Plans, a legal document which sets out the care required for a young person.
Permanent exclusions have also shown a rising trend, albeit the numbers are much lower. There were 91 permanent exclusions in 2023/24, a 19.7% increase on the 81 in 2022/23. The figure in 2021/22 had been 69.
Again a significant proportion of permanent exclusions fell into the SEN support category – 36 in the most recent year.
Like other local councils, Redcar and Cleveland has various statutory functions in respect of education and works collaboratively with the borough’s schools to reduce suspensions and permanent exclusions.
The council’s approach aims to address four main themes – poverty, safeguarding, special educational needs and mental health – all crucial factors.
Rising suspensions have been a cause of concern to successive administrations and highlighted by councillors.
However it has also been conceded previously that with the vast majority of schools now run by independently-operating trusts and therefore having responsibility for the setting of disciplinary policy themselves, the council is relatively limited in what it can do.
An attendance strategy has been drawn up with a view to it being agreed and implemented in Redcar and Cleveland schools.
Councillor Bill Suthers, the council’s cabinet member for children, who was at the event, said, “Nothing is more important than our children – and that means all our children.
“This is about inclusivity in schools, but also supporting vulnerable or troubled children, which can have a wider impact on communities.”
A spokeswoman for the council added: “The aim is to break down barriers and ensure that professionals from across schools, councils and agencies work together to ensure schools are inclusive and that young people’s emotional and mental health needs are being met at the earliest opportunity.”
