Review into public school suspensions as figures show kids as young as four are being kicked out of kindy

The number of students suspended from SA public schools is rising. Among them is Zak Lawrence who was kicked out of class six times in a matter of months.

Almost 20 children aged from just four to six were suspended from state schools every week during the most recent snapshot taken by the Education Department.

Overall numbers of suspensions are back on the rise, with 4211 in Term 2, 2022 – the highest since the 3934 in the same term in 2019 before the pandemic.

And a growing number of public school students have been repeatedly suspended in recent years.

The figures comes as The Advertiser can reveal the Education Department is expected to finalise a review of its Suspension, Exclusion and Expulsion of Students Procedure for government schools by the end of the year.

That follows pledges by both sides of politics to reduce suspensions, especially for youngsters and children with disabilities.

Last week a student at public Hamilton Secondary College was suspended after footage emerged of a vicious attack on a fellow student.

Data from the Term 2, 2022 snapshot shows 260 students across all year levels were suspended three or more times in the 10-week term.

The number hit a peak of 282 in 2019, fell to 225 in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and has been rising since.

In the youngest age group, 195 children aged four to six were suspended during Term 2, 2022 – or almost 20 each week.

That number has remained steady since falling from a high of 227 at the start of the pandemic.

Boys are sent home from school at least 4.5 times more often than girls.

Roma Mitchell Secondary School Year 9 student Zak Lawrence was suspended “five to six times” in a six-month period last year, his mum says. Picture: Emma Brasier

Roma Mitchell Secondary School Year 9 student Zak Lawrence was suspended “five to six times” in a six-month period last year, his mum says.

And when he wasn’t suspended, she says the school was calling her every day to come and pick him up.

Caroline McCudden said Zak, 15, has Autism Spectrum Disorder and Pathological Demand Avoidance and has had trouble “fitting in”.

“If he’s not supported he gets upset and explodes,” said Ms McCudden, 44, who is a student support officer at a primary school.

“He would swear and throw things around the room.”

Zak enrolled at the school last year but within 26 weeks he was excluded.

“In those 26 weeks I had a phone call every day (to pick him up),” the Enfield mum said.

“Every time you think you’re able to work, you’re not able to work.

She said there needed to be more options for students like Zak.

“How about we build a school that is for different kids,” she said.

Zak has since been excluded again and just returned at the start of Term 3. He is now taught in the school’s special education unit.

Roma Mitchell principal Toni Carellas said the school had “been working very closely” with Zak and his family “to improve his engagement and learning”.

“We are really committed to seeing this student do well, and have been doing everything we can to ensure this happens,” she said.

“To date we have found the special class setting suits this student in many ways, particularly around the reduced sensory input, and access to facilities to support him regulate his behaviour.”

Ms Carellas said the safety of staff and other students was a factor in choosing to impose a suspension.

Minister for Education Blair Boyer said here was “a huge amount of work undertaken at schools that support students” before a suspension was imposed. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Education Minister Blair Boyer said students “in their first few years of schooling,” Aboriginal children and students with a disability were “often overrepresented” but there was “a huge amount of work undertaken at schools that support students” before a suspension was imposed.

Mr Boyer cited government measures to address rates of suspension including the departmental review underway, $1m for schools to put in place “restorative practices”, installing autism inclusion teachers and mental health practitioners on campuses and holding a roundtable last year on violence in schools.

“The wellbeing of our students is something as minister I feel very strongly about and something that must have as much importance as academic learning,” he said.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said the former Liberal government had allocated $15m to developing training for teachers to manage difficult student behaviour and to redesign the Flexible Learning Options program which provides an alternative for disengaged students.

The current Labor government has continued those initiatives, but Mr Gardner said they had been pushed out by two years.