Alarming data reveals almost 90,000 students suspended across Victorian schools

Almost 90 students a day are being kicked out of state primary and secondary schools amid a rise in schoolyard attacks and other unruly behaviour. SEE THE FULL LIST OF SCHOOLS

Almost 90 students a day are being suspended from state primary and secondary schools, according to alarming new figures. Picture: supplied

Shocking new figures reveal suspensions have skyrocketed across Victoria’s state government primary and secondary schools, with almost 90 students a day being kicked out due to a rise in violent schoolyard attacks and other unruly behaviour.

Documents exclusively obtained by the Herald Sun under Freedom of Information laws can reveal the true extent of student suspensions at 250 state schools, with a staggering 87,021 students suspended between 2019 to 2023.

This averages to 87 students being suspended each school day in the same time frame, with the number increasing by 30 per cent since 2019.

Mount Ridley P-12 College had the highest number of suspensions in the state, with a total of 1844 students suspended over the five years.

The state’s trouble-plagued super school Greater Shepparton College, which has been marred by violence including schoolyard fights and teachers working in fear, came in second with 1353 suspensions.

Alarmingly, the figures reveal schools continued to suspend hundreds of primary and secondary pupils during the Covid pandemic even though children spent more than half their time doing remote learning.

Other state high schools with a high number suspensions include Melton Secondary College (1256), Phoenix P-12 Community College in Sebastopol (1148) and Hume Central Secondary College (1104).

The data shows that if a student is suspended more than once in a year, it accounts for one suspension.

However, if the student moves school within the year, and was suspended at both schools, they will be counted twice in the total.

Only schools that suspended more than 10 students in a year were included in the data.

In the past year, the Herald Sun has reported a slew of violent incidents at Victorian schools including a vicious fight at a Hoppers Crossing high school that left some students “covered in blood”.

Suspensions across Victoria’s state government schools have skyrocketed amid soaring violence and unruly behaviour.

Two high school students were also left hospitalised after a father allegedly helped his teenage son violently bash the pair following a brawl at Fitzroy High School.

A state secondary school principal, who has worked in the role for more than 10 years, said they believed suspensions were on the rise due to ongoing violent incidents and aggressive pupils.

“There have been instances where students have threatened each other with knives and other weapons,” the principal said.

“Teachers have put themselves in grave danger by breaking up fights.

“There are also cases of cyber bullying, students misbehaving on camps and other reasons that warrant a suspension.”

A teacher, who sustained injuries after breaking up a fight at a state secondary school, said he had noticed an “escalation” in behavioural issues among pupils.

“It’s very frightening as an educator to be confronted with this type of behaviour on a daily basis … that’s why so many teachers are on WorkCover,” he said.

Australian Primary Principals Association president Angela Falkenberg said school leaders across the country had expressed concerns about children being violent in classrooms.

Suspensions at state schools are on the rise amid escalating schoolyard attacks. Picture: supplied

“There are children who are throwing punches whether it’s at a peer or someone else,” Ms Falkenberg said.

“There’s instances of using things as a weapon, from throwing a sticky tape dispenser to having a knife … schools are required to act promptly and responsively.”

A state government spokeswoman said the safety of staff and students at school was the government’s number one priority.

“Student behaviour which is dangerous, disrespectful, damaging to property or continually interferes with the education of others needs to have consequences – suspension is one of those consequences,” she said.

“We have introduced a range of initiatives across Victorian schools to discourage this type of behaviour, and equip staff to deal with challenging students.”

But opposition education spokeswoman Jess Wilson said the alarmingly high number of student suspensions painted a very “bleak picture” of classroom behaviour in Victorian schools under the Allan Labor Government.

“Unfortunately, the number of suspensions in Victorian schools reflects the fact that Australia ranks among the worst countries in the OECD when it comes to poor classroom behaviour, leaving our teachers stressed and burnt out,” Ms Wilson said.

“Not only is poor classroom behaviour having an impact on learning outcomes, with one in three Victorian students failing to meet basic standards in numeracy and literacy, but it is fuelling Labor’s teacher shortage crisis with the teacher attrition rate growing year on year.”