Researchers from the University of Manchester have found that considering the wider context around individual students could help to reduce school suspensions.
Researchers from the University of Manchester have analysed data from its #BeeWell programme – a youth wellbeing survey run in collaboration with Anna Freud (the children’s mental health charity) and the Gregson Family Foundation.
The data contained survey responses from more than 19,000 secondary pupils in Years 8 and 10 across 69 mainstream schools in Hampshire and Southampton during the 2023/24 academic year, and this was analysed alongside school data on suspensions.
The study was published in July 2026 by the British Educational Research Journal.
Students at risk of suspension
The researchers found that there were several indicators of students most at risk of being suspended. Amongst these, strong peer pressure and experiences of being bullied are both linked to a greater likelihood of suspension, as are those eligible for free school meals. Students who receive SEN support or who have an EHCP were more than twice as likely to be suspended, and for those who reported substance abuse, suspension was three times more likely because DfE guidance states this is a reason to do so.
What helps students
On the flip side, the students who felt a sense of belonging at school and satisfaction with their own academic attainment were at lower risk of being suspended. Positive relationships with staff and stronger emotion-regulation skills were also linked to lower odds of suspension.
More support needed
One of the study’s authors, Professor Neil Humphrey, talked about resourcing, acknowledging that teachers are often working under particularly challenging conditions. This could push schools toward “blanket” approaches to suspension purely due to limited capacity to work with students in other ways.
The report’s authors stress that this study identifies the indicators for suspension only and that further research is needed to understand how schools can most effectively intervene.
