Fifty English secondary schools suspended more than a quarter of pupils after pandemic

5 comments

1. There has been a [54% jump in suspension rates in year 7s in just 5 years](
   https://www.theguardian.com/education/article/2024/aug/25/bubble-of-post-pandemic-bad-behaviour-among-pupils-predicted-to-peak).

   This article is describing 50 individual secondary schools suspending 25% or more of their pupils.

   Can you imagine a quarter of people in your school year group having had a suspension?

   Desocialisation during lockdowns significantly damaged the social skills of young people and the facts above about spiking school suspension rates speak for themselves.

   Shocking figures, but this post will be downvoted by this sub because these facts are inconvenient to their worldview that the actions we took during the pandemic didn’t leave lasting damage on the young.

2. I can understand suspensions as a tool for keeping children separated from others but as a punishment tool I do not really understand the logic behind them at all.

   When were suspensions introduced as a tool? Why? Was having to go to work instead of school the punishment originally? Is it out of date? What’s the ‘success’ rate of their use? Does it act as a prevention? Does the effectiveness decline after multiple uses? What is the impact to the economy, if any?

   Anybody have suspensions as a child? What is your opinion on them? Did it make a difference at what age?

3. I was suspended a few times in school.

   Ironically, it was for bunking off and getting into fights. I’ve never started a fight, I was constantly bullied and having to defend myself.

   Sometimes, it was for a day or 2. Other times, I was out for weeks.

   My mum worked full-time, but our neighbour was a stay at home mum. I would stay with her and just hang out playing computer games (and doing other things) with her daughter, who was the same age as me, and just flat out refused to go to school.

4. From friends who teach, some kids are taught by parents to disrespect teachers. “They teach because they failed at a real job.” And “They can’t tell you what to do.” It’s rooted in misogyny.

   Add in the Tate hate pushed at kids that says a slap keeps women in line. WTF right? But it means you get young teens, many at 80kg and tall, punching away. Schools have no option but to keep staff safe.

   Hate is an epidemic.

5. This isn’t really a very “Reddit” thing to say, but sometimes you have to think of what’s best for the majority.

   If a child is disruptive to a class of 30 others learning, then removing them benefits everyone.

   The issue here is the declining behaviour of children/people in general and it’s interesting that children’s access to and use of smart phones isn’t mentioned in the article. That for me is a root issue that is getting some traction thankfully.