Set Up to Fail
Exploring suspensions and the SEN system, with a focus on North East England
The SEN system in this country is broken.
Fixed Term Exclusions - or suspensions - are a rarely used measure amongst very young children, however more than 80% of primary age suspensions go to children with recognised SEN.
This paper looks at the figures, including snapshots of the local authorities and schools in the North East, and shares the insights of parents who have battled with the system to get their children the support they need.
“It feels like the system is set up for SEN children to fail.”
Parent Submission
Key Findings
The insight of parents and caregivers told us about:
The importance of centring the parent and caregiver voice in discussions on how to support SEN children
The difficulty of working with multiple agencies, and of information disparities between families and those agencies, particularly on process
The ineffectiveness of punishments such as suspensions, and on a focus on attendance over wellbeing
The emotional toll of the SEN system as it stands, and the struggle to get support for their children
Across England, the number of suspensions in state-funded primaries has increased from 49,600 in 2014/15 to 84,200 in 2022/23 (a 69.7% increase)
In the North East, that figure has increased from 1,473 in 2014/15 to 2,990 in 2022/23 (a 103% increase)
83.1% of suspensions in state-funded primaries in the North East were of pupils in receipt of SEN support, compared to 82.4% in England
At a local authority level in the North East, the highest proportion of SEN suspensions is in South Tyneside at 88.9%, and the lowest is Gateshead at 73.3%.
