Commenting on the latest data release by the Department for Education, Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“There is no sticking plaster solution to this issue. Decisions taken by previous Governments have cut to the bone the SEND, mental health and behaviour specialist support that schools and colleges need.
“Mental health and social service support has been decimated across the country. Cuts to school funding has resulted in reduced pastoral teams and the loss of essential support staff within schools. Child poverty rates are soaring, and we have an assessment and curriculum system that has resulted in an exam factory style education system that puts immense and unnecessary pressure on pupils and the staff working with them.
“The new Government has quickly recognised that we need to review our curriculum and assessment system, but this must result in real change. The funding of our schools and colleges and the funding of Local Authority support systems are critical. Measures to address the poverty that 4 million children now live in, would also go some way towards a reversal in suspension and exclusion figures. It is a task that requires bold and significant change to a system run into the ground by the previous administration.”