There have been record numbers of suspensions in Merseyside state schools in the 2022/23 academic year.
A total of 19,375 suspensions were handed out in schools across the county, compared to 13,623 in 2021/22. That is more than double the 8,206 suspensions handed out in the 2018/19 school year, the last full year before the COVID-19[feminine[feminine pandemic. The Dixons Fazakerley The Academy has the worst suspension record of any publicly funded secondary or primary school in Merseyside, relative to the number of pupils. There were a total of 1,350 suspensions at the school in 2022/23.
This equates to 159 per 100 pupils attending the school. Only 19 other secondary or primary schools in the whole of England had higher rates. Dixons Croxteth The Academy had the next highest rate, with 435 suspensions, or 127 per 100 students.
Dixons Broadgreen Academy recorded more suspensions than any other school in our area, with 1,497. This represents 121 for every 100 pupils attending the school, making it the third highest rate in Merseyside. You can see how many suspensions and exclusions have taken place at your child’s school or schools in your area using our interactive table:
The situation in Merseyside reflects that of the country as a whole. A record 787,000 suspensions were handed out in schools across England in 2022/23, compared with 578,300 in 2021/22.
This is a 36% increase in just one year, and an 80% increase on 2018/19, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were 438,265 suspensions. The number of suspensions this year is 9.3 per 100 pupils. This is also a record high, up from 6.9 per 100 pupils in 2021/22 and 5.4 per 100 pupils in 2018/19.