Report

School exclusions tracker

This report from UK think tank the Centre for Social Justice examines the crisis of bad behaviour disrupting classrooms.

There is a crisis of bad behaviour disrupting classrooms. The latest government data reveals a shocking 21 per cent increase in suspensions and 16 per cent increase in permanent exclusions. Government and schools have an important role to play, but our research shows that parents also need to up their game and take responsibility for their children’s behaviour in class. There has been a fundamental breakdown in the school-parent social contract.

Polling for the CSJ revealed nearly three in ten parents saying that the pandemic has shown that it is not essential for children to attend school. A recent survey of teachers found that 70 per cent had faced abusive language from parents directed at staff, with 82 per cent of primary school teachers and 89 per cent of secondary school teachers agreeing with the statement ‘parents have become far too disrespectful of teachers’.

We are calling for an urgent review of behavioural standards, a national parental engagement strategy, and a new Right to Sport for all secondary-age pupils.