YOUNG people suspended from secondary school are twice as likely to be out of work or education by the age of 24, researchers have said.

Department for Education (DfE) figures show suspensions rose by 36 per cent to 786,961 in the 2022/23 academic year.

The findings by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) have been published as pupils in England, Northern Ireland and Wales are due to find out their GCSE results tomorrow.

It found that pupils suspended at least once during secondary school were also 2.1 times as likely to not achieve Level 3 qualifications, which include A-levels, by the age of 19, and 1.6 times as likely to not attend higher education by 24.

Allen Joseph, EPI researcher in early years, inequalities and wellbeing, said: “Given these poor individual-level outcomes and wider societal costs, it is imperative that schools, colleges and wider services are adequately resourced to address the circumstances and respond to the behaviour that resulted in the suspension.”

The EPI called on the government to consider conducting a programme of work which sets out how to best respond to the behaviour that led to suspensions and develop the evidence base on what works to support pupils who experience multiple suspensions.

Carlie Goldsmith, senior policy adviser at Impetus, a non-governmental organisation that supports disadvantaged young people, said supporting pupils who are struggling to engage in mainstream education, “and in particular making sure they achieve crucial GCSEs, must be a priority for government.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The new government must provide the necessary support to schools to address behavioural problems before they reach this critical point.”

Azmina Siddique, policy and public affairs manager for risk and exploitation at The Children’s Society, said explusions also leave children vulnerable to exploitation.

“The government must step up with stronger guidelines for schools and more funding for early intervention services,” she said.

“Every child deserves the chance to stay in school, learn and succeed.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “We are determined to get to grips with the causes of poor behaviour.

“We’ve already committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every secondary school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.”