Number of children excluded from States schools since 2023-24
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WQ.58/2026
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
BY DEPUTY M.B. ANDREWS OF ST HELIER NORTH
QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 2nd MARCH 2026
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 9th MARCH 2026
Question
"Further to Written Question 388/2024, will the Minister advise the number of children excluded from States primary schools and, separately, from States secondary schools for each academic year since 2023/24, and will he advise what interventions, if any, have been made since he took office to support children who have demonstrated tendencies to act inappropriately towards staff and other children?"
Answer
Academic Year | Pupils excluded (suspension) from Government Primary Schools | Pupils excluded (suspension) from Government Secondary Schools |
2024/2025 | 43 | 294 |
2025/2026* | 25 | 222 |
*Data for 2025/2026 represents a partial year – the autumn term and first half of the spring term (to February half term) have been included.
The above data is taken from SIMS, the schools' management information system, and represents all pupils receiving a fixed term exclusion (suspension). The data does not include children attending a special school.
In 2024/2025 there were 11,354 pupils in mainstream Government schools (Nursery to Year 13), 3.0% of those pupils (337 in total) experienced an exclusion in that academic year. So far in 2025/2026, 2.2% of pupils have been excluded (247 from a cohort of 11,292).
Schools across the island have strengthened their focus on supporting pupils' personal development, social interaction and emotional wellbeing. This has included enhancing curriculum provision to place greater emphasis on emotional literacy, self-regulation and relationship education through their personal development provision and PSHE lessons, helping pupils to better understand their emotions, communicate effectively with others and make positive behavioural choices.
Alongside this curriculum development, schools have continued to embed restorative approaches to behaviour. When incidents occur, staff work with pupils to reflect on what has happened, understand the impact of their actions on others, and actively repair relationships. This approach supports pupils to learn from mistakes, develop greater accountability and build the social skills needed to manage conflict and disagreement more constructively.
Through this sustained work, schools are helping pupils to develop safer behaviours, stronger relationships and greater emotional resilience, which in turn contributes to a reduction in incidents that might otherwise lead to suspensions.
Schools have seen a marked increase in the level and complexity of need, and in response they have prioritised staff professional development to strengthen understanding of behaviour, emotional health and regulation. Behaviour policies have been reviewed and adapted to reflect more relational, traumainformed and restorative approaches, and CYPES continues to work alongside schools to further develop this practice.
This is not a quick fix; it requires a sustained, longterm commitment to changing behaviours through improved understanding of the reasons behind children's chosen behaviours, and by embedding consistent, evidenceinformed approaches across the system.