Internal Suspensions

The Department for Education (DfE) have announced that schools will be supported to use internal suspensions effectively as part of their behaviour policies.

An internal suspension is when a pupil is removed from their usual classroom for a short period but remains in school and the pupil works in a separate, supervised space. They continue with their schoolwork and are supported to reflect on their behaviour before returning to lessons.

Many schools already use internal suspensions in different ways, but schools will now be supported with clear, national guidance on how internal suspensions should be used well. This will help bring consistency across schools and highlight good practice, while still allowing headteachers to decide what works best for their pupils.

This approach is not the same as isolation where a pupil is placed alone with limited interaction or exclusion where a pupils is suspended from school or permanently excluded.

The new guidance will be developed with schools and trusts and will be consulted on before being finalised. It will sit within existing suspension and permanent exclusion guidance, rather than creating a new system, with changes expected to come into effect next year.

Would you like to understand more about the different types of exclusion?  Have a look at the DAG Busy Governance Guide to Exclusion for a clear guide to what is a complicated subject.