GOVERNMENT TO BAN AT-HOME SUSPENSIONS – Instead of being sent home, disruptive pupils will be kept in ‘internal exclusion zones’
In a major shake-up of the English school system, at-home suspensions are set to be scrapped by default. Instead of being sent home, disruptive pupils will be kept in school, but isolated in what’s being called ‘internal exclusion zones.’
It is an end to the tradition of ‘sending them home to Mum and Dad’ for anything less than the most serious offences. The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, says smartphones and gaming have essentially ‘devalued’ the traditional suspension.
For many kids, being told to stay at home isn’t a punishment anymore, and the core issue is that time out of the classroom is seen as a ‘life-chance killer,’ making it harder for kids to catch up.
Last year saw one million suspensions in England—a 21% jump in just twelve months. Over half of those cases weren’t for violence, but for ‘persistent disruption’—the kind of low-level trouble the government wants handled on-site.
Under the new plans, which will be fully detailed in a White Paper coming out soon, schools will be expected to create internal zones. Pupils will be given their set work, kept away from their friends, and monitored closely to ensure they don’t fall behind.
At-home suspensions will still exist, but they’ll be reserved for what the government calls ‘extreme circumstances’—specifically cases involving violence. The aim is for this to become law by September 2027, following a massive consultation with heads and teachers.
