Rise in Harrogate school suspensions a concern - meeting

The most common reason for recent suspensions in Harrogate and Knaresborough was "persistent disruptive behaviour"

A sharp rise in school suspensions in Harrogate and Knaresborough is a "concern", a meeting has heard.

North Yorkshire Council figures reported 459 pupils suspended in the constituency area in 2022/23 - a rise of more than 45% from 314 in 2021/2022.

The most common reason for suspensions had been "persistent disruptive behaviour", a report revealed.

A council meeting, held in Harrogate on Thursday, heard the rise reflected a national trend in suspension rates.

Youth education charity Impetus recently published research that found children suspended from school would see their exam results suffer, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It suggested some children were found to be lagging a year behind their peers, with some unable to achieve a standard pass in GCSE maths and English.

Headteacher workshops

Describing the statistics, independent councillor Paul Haslam said: "I'm keen to understand the causes of suspensions.

"I do not underestimate the commitment of teachers - as a past school governor and trustee, I know how hard they work - but how can we best support them?"

He described the rise as a "concern" and stressed the importance of reducing poor behaviour at primary level to reduce the chance of it reoccurring in secondary schools.

Amanda Newbold, assistant director for education and skills at North Yorkshire Council, said: "We can link it back to wider issues in families rather than school-specific issues.

"We've focused on all things inclusion this academic year and we're offering support [to schools] around suspension and exclusions."

She said that headteacher workshops had been held to do "as much preventative work as possible", but said it would take time to see the positive outcomes.