A County Durham headteacher has said schools need help to tackle causes of bad behaviour after a predicted rise in the number of pupils being suspended and excluded.

The number of students being temporarily barred from schools across the UK is expected to have risen by more than a fifth in the past year, a report out on Thursday (September 5) said.

Up to the Easter holidays in the 2023/24 academic year, researchers estimate there was a rise of more than 20% in suspensions and exclusions compared with the same period in the previous year.

It comes after the latest Government figures showed the number of suspensions reached a record in England in 2022/23, with more than 786,000 suspensions handed out.

Education leaders have warned of challenging behaviour in classrooms and an attendance crisis after Covid-19.

It comes as a County Durham headteacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said more support is needed to tackle the causes of pupils misbehaving.

They told the Echo: “The increase in anti-social behaviour, particularly in our most disadvantaged communities, is having an impact on children being ready for school and their continued readiness to learn.

“Behaviour in schools is therefore a huge concern, and this has been exacerbated by the reduction of resources, external support, and special provision from local authorities.

“No headteacher takes the decision to suspend lightly, and it is always the last resort after exhausting all available strategies.

“In order to reduce suspensions, more resources to tackle the root causes of poor behaviour in schools are needed.

The report found children from low-income backgrounds, with special educational needs and those with mental health issues are the most likely to miss learning.

It is estimated 32 million days of learning were lost through suspensions and unauthorised absences in the 2022/23 academic year, up from 19 million days in 2018/19 – the last full school year before the pandemic, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank and education charity The Difference.

Efua Poku-Amanfo, IPPR research fellow, said: “The most vulnerable children are being let down and we’re concerned this will become an endemic problem for society as well as the potential damage it could do to the prospects for young people.”

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A DfE spokesperson said: “The rising number of school suspensions and permanent exclusions are shocking, and show the massive scale of disruptive behaviour that has developed in schools across the country in recent years, harming the life chances of children.

“We are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour; we’ve already committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.

“But we know poor behaviour can also be rooted in wider issues, which is why the Government is developing an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty led by a taskforce co-chaired by the Education Secretary so that we can break down the barriers to opportunity.”