The Isle of Wight recently made headlines for the worst increase in the country for secondary school expulsions. This worrying trend led to frank and open discussions between local councillors at the children’s services, education and skills committee meeting on Thursday. Paul Fuller, independent councillor for Cowes West and Gurnard, laid bare what such an increase would mean. At the same time, committee member Joe Lever from the Green Party questioned whether current school policies are doing any good.
A recent council report showed that 26.9% of secondary school pupils attending mainstream schools received exclusions. This is the data for the 2023/24 academic year. Needless to say, this figure is a huge jump from last school year’s suspension rate of only 5.6%. The sudden spike has sent shockwaves across the country. People are starting to ask how we’re doing at teaching students to behave, or if our disciplinary actions even work.
At the outset of our meeting, Lever made his bones as an advocate by asking this fundamental question—“What’s not working? This line of questioning underscored the importance of prioritizing accountability, as well as evaluation, on the part of schools and districts in addressing disciplinary problems. Paul Brading, a Conservative county councillor, termed the reality “horrendous.” He noted that there has been a lot of progress made, but cautioned that we must act immediately to reverse the trend of increasing suspension rates.
Kay Jones filling in for Ashley Whittaker, director of children’s services. She encouraged councillors to make clear that improving school attendance should be their top priority. She stated, “The reassurance I will give you is that school attendance is our priority. That includes in all its forms.” Jones left the meeting with a promise to take answers to many of the concerns raised by attendees. He promised to have written responses back to councillors before the new school year starts.
Fuller shared further concern as to why there has been such an increase in suspensions. He remarked, “What is of concern to me is that schools might find it easier to suspend children rather than have to pick up the impact that allowing them to go through exams would have.” Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell. His comments on the potential harm such policies can have on students’ academic futures were right on point.
In the meantime, Isle of Wight councillors are doing what they can to raise discussion about this alarming trend. The writing is on the wall that they need to proactively address harmful disciplinary practices that negatively impact students’ educational experiences and well-being. The council is committed to examining these economic, environmental, and safety policies. This institutional commitment will be key to addressing these root causes for increased suspensions.
