Commenting on a government plan for a new formalised internal suspension framework, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“The NEU supports and welcomes systems that encourage sharing best practice. However, schools are running on empty. This is the latest in an increasing line of unfunded government initiatives.
“Reducing suspensions by changing where a student carries out the suspension does little to address the root causes of behaviour. This requires investment and the ambition to change things, including training for schools in belonging approaches and trauma‑informed practice.
“The government has told schools to make cuts last year, this year and for the foreseeable future. It has suggested schools cut assistant heads, who typically lead initiatives like this, and support staff, who often deliver these initiatives. Schools cannot continually be asked to do more with less.”