Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were (a) suspended and (b) permanently excluded from primary schools in England in 2023-24; and what proportion of such pupils were identified as having SEND.

The department publishes figures from the school census on suspensions and permanent exclusions from state-funded schools in England. The most recent full academic year release, for the 2022/23 academic year, is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2022-23.

The latest release covers the 2023/24 autumn term and is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/suspensions-and-permanent-exclusions-in-england/2023-24-autumn-term.

Published figures include numbers and rates of suspensions and permanent exclusions by school phase and characteristics, including special educational needs provision. A table has been created from the 2022/23 academic year publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f661eaa5-0158-4c2d-710a-08dd0ae16946.

Data is not yet available for the whole 2023/24 academic year. Data is collected two terms in arrears to allow time for Independent Review Panels to review exclusion decisions before data is collected.