Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the spokesperson for the Department for Education on 2 March in respect of the suspension of four school children at Kettlethorpe High School for dropping a copy of the Koran that “the school followed standard disciplinary procedures in response to this incident” and that the Department “backs headteachers to take the appropriate action”, what are the standard disciplinary procedures for such an incident; whether they consider the suspension of the children in this case to be an “appropriate action”; and if not, what plans they have to withdraw that statement.

The government’s priority remains the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. The department trusts head teachers to work with pupils, parents and, where necessary, the local community and the police to manage the responses to these incidents locally.

All schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy which outlines effective strategies that will encourage good behaviour and the sanctions that will be imposed for misbehaviour. The department trusts head teachers to develop behaviour policies which reflect their school’s individual contexts and needs. The department also supports head teachers in using suspension as a sanction when warranted as part of creating calm, safe and supportive environments where both pupils and staff can work in safety and are respected.

All decisions to suspend a pupil must be lawful, proportionate, and reasonable. Within these requirements, schools need to be able to set and enforce behaviour policies that reflect their ethos and the specific challenges they face. Decisions also need to be based on the particular facts of a case. For this reason, the statutory Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance does not prescribe the behaviours that should or should not lead to a suspension.

If parents feel that disciplinary action is unreasonable, they have the right to make representations to the school’s governing board.