NEW guidance for pupil suspensions must not force schools to do “more with less,” unions warned today.

The government is set to launch a consultation on behaviour policy that would see more suspended pupils staying in school under supervision rather than be sent home.

The Department for Education (DfE) is to announce the consultation in the upcoming schools white paper.

The measures for England aim to have punishments for non-violent misbehaviour to take place in school units known as “internal exclusion,” rather than sending offending pupils home.

Teachers’ union NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack said: “At a time when increasing numbers of schools are having to cut staff numbers and scale back provision due to funding pressures, some schools may struggle to meet these expectations in the absence of any additional funding.”

He added that while keeping pupils on site can support learning and early intervention, some staff will be concerned about the deterrent effect of serious sanctions being weakened.

Association of School and College Leaders general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said that many schools already use internal exclusions, adding the union looks forward to seeing the detail of the government’s plans.

“It is important that this is genuinely helpful and does not merely create yet more administrative burdens on school leaders and their staff,” he said.

“It is also imperative that any new expectations are backed up with sufficient resources and that schools are not once again left having to do more with less.”

The new framework will not remove existing sanctions and heads will retain discretion over when internal or external suspension should be used and when permanent exclusion is needed, it is understood.

But NAHT school leaders’ union general secretary Paul Whiteman warned that “any suggestion that this should become the default position for all suspensions raises a range of important questions, including how schools will be able to supervise those, and whether or not all schools have space to make that work.”

National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said: “This is the latest in an increasing line of unfunded government initiatives. 

“Reducing suspensions by changing where a student carries out the suspension does little to address the root causes of behaviour.

“Schools cannot continually be asked to do more with less.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Suspensions will always play a critical role in helping heads manage poor behaviour, but time at home today can too easily mean children retreating to social media, gaming and the online world instead of serving their punishment.”