A RECORD number of pupils have been suspended from the district's schools, new figures show.

Department for Education data reveals there were 18,504 Bradford-district suspensions in the 2022-23 academic year – the highest number since records began.

The total was up from 10,362 suspensions the previous year, and an increase from 5,865 in 2018-19, before the pandemic.

Of the suspensions, 11,050 – 60 per cent – were for children eligible for free school meals.

Those from Gypsy Roma backgrounds had the highest suspension rate at 133.3 per 100 students – 7.2 times the area’s average suspension rate of 18.4 per 100 students.

Permanent exclusions in Bradford district were also at their highest, with 149 recorded last year.

Bradford Council says its schools only suspend students when there is “no better choice”.

Councillor Sue Duffy, the council’s executive member for children and families, said: “It is important for schools to be safe, calm places where children can do their best and staff can deliver a great education.

“Schools take their responsibilities around promoting positive behaviour amongst children seriously and only suspend students when there’s no better choice.

“All but two of the secondary schools in Bradford district are academies which means they are not run by the council, nevertheless we work with all schools to look at how often suspensions happen and why.

“This helps us, collectively, to see if any extra assistance is needed to support schools to manage behaviour positively.”

Across England, suspensions rose by 36 per cent, from 578,300 in 2021-22 to 787,000 last year – the highest number on record.

Permanent exclusions across the country also reached a record high – 9,376 in 2022-23, a rise of 44 per cent from the year before.

More than half – 55 per cent – of all suspensions in England were among children eligible for free school meals, meaning their parent or carer is receiving one of several benefits.

Education minister Stephen Morgan said the figures are a wake-up call regarding problems in schools.

He added: “They put into sharp focus that too many pupils are being held back by their background and that our education system is failing to meet the requirements of children with additional needs.”

He said the Government has already committed to more mental health professionals in secondary schools, free breakfast clubs in primary schools, and earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.