New figures in school suspensions across Wide Bay schools revealed

New figures have revealed how many students are being suspended at Gympie, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg schools with a surprise trend emerging across the Wide Bay.

Girls at Wide Bay’s schools are being suspended at an increasing rate in a new trend which is offsetting an overall drop in student discipline numbers.

New figures, released by the State Government, show 5234 suspensions were handed out across schools in Gympie, Maryborough, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg in 2021.

This was 229 less than the number recorded in 2019.

However, in 2021, girls accounted for almost one third of the total suspensions, with 1614 recorded.

This was compared to 2019 when girls accounted for only a quarter of the year’s suspensions.

These increases were across three of the four suspension categories: short (from 1305 to 1503,) long (52 to 68) and exclusions (16 to 21).

A Gympie school fight in 2019 shared on social media was one incident among hundreds across the Wide Bay which led to suspensions, with the past three years revealing some surprising trends across the Gympie, Fraser Coast and Bundaberg region schools.

Hervey Bay schools recorded the highest number of suspensions with 1641, although this was down almost 200 on the 2019 figures.

Bundaberg’s schools however recorded an overall jump in suspensions in the three years from 2019-21.

The problem has continued into 2022 with one shocking fight among schoolgirls at a Bundaberg school caught on film and shared on social media in March.

Another Bundaberg school fight was captured in similar fashion in 2019.

In September, a Maryborough private school was at the centre of a scare in which footage of an alleged knife attack was shared on social media.

The knife was later reported to be a fake.

A Bundaberg school fight in 2019 was captured and shared on social media.

Gympie MP Tony Perrett, whose question on notice resulted in the data’s release, said it highlighted “the issue facing teachers and principals in trying to manage the classroom while also delivering lessons”.

“It is well known that student conduct is being impacted by social behaviour pressures including vaping, smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use as well as bullying and online abuse,” Mr Perrett said.

“The Gympie region has a low socio-economic demographic profile, and our school students don’t need to fall behind.

“Schools which are almost at capacity, with reduced space for learning and school activities, and others which need upgrades to facilities, make it harder to do their job.”

Gympie MP Tony Perrett, whose question on notice led to the release of the latest figures for the Wide Bay’s schools, said suspension numbers highlighted the scale of the issues facing principals across the region.

A Department of Education spokesman said preliminary figures for 2022 indicated suspensions were at their lowest levels since 2015.

However, there was “a legitimate community expectation that there will be consequences for poor student behaviour, particularly where it poses a danger to the health and safety of other students and staff”.

“At the same time, the department is focused on supporting every child to succeed at school, and that is best done by keeping students at school and engaged in the classroom,” the spokesman said.

Suspending students was a decision “never taken lightly” and the department was working closely with school staff to ensure schools were “maximising the days of learning for every student”.

“Suspensions, exclusions, and cancellations of enrolment are only used as a last resort option for addressing serious behaviour issues.”