Why students at these Brisbane schools rarely get suspended

Brisbane’s second-largest state high school is bursting at the seams – but it also has one of the lowest rates of student suspensions in the city.

Exclusive analysis can reveal Brisbane State High School issued only 146 student disciplinary absences (SDAs) last year, despite taking hundreds of students above its enrolment capacity.

There were 136 short suspensions (one to 10 days), two long suspensions (11 to 20 days), two exclusions and six cancellations, which only occur when a child is either 16 or has finished year 10 and refuses to participate in school.

Brisbane State High School is one of the city’s largest schools, but it also has one of the lowest suspension and exclusion rates.Credit: Dan Peled

Those numbers equate to just over four disciplinary absences for every 100 students enrolled.

Brisbane State High executive principal Greg Pierce said the school maintained high behavioural expectations and outcomes through integrated student support services, clear and consistent communication with parents, and professional development for staff.

“At Brisbane State High School there is an ongoing focus and reiteration on a weekly basis of the four core values of the school – respect, excellence, learning and inclusivity,” he said.

“There are also a wide range of extracurricular activities provided which enables students to be actively engaged and feel part of the school culture.”

Last year, 45 per cent of Brisbane State High students lived out of catchment, and the prestigious school grapples to keep enough space for local students alongside more than 1000 students in its academic, sport and cultural selective entry programs.

Its ICSEA percentile, which measures things like parental education and geographical location, was 94, meaning students at Brisbane State High were more educationally advantaged than those at 94 per cent of schools in Australia.

But it is not the only large Brisbane school that keeps a lid on behavioural issues – and not all have students from such advantageous backgrounds.

For example, Stretton State College, a prep to year 12 school with an ICSEA percentile of 75, and Corinda State High, with an ICSEA percentile of 65, both issued about 6.5 disciplinary absences for every 100 students enrolled.

To put that into perspective, most Brisbane state high schools had disciplinary absence rates above 10 per cent. At one school, the rate last year was above 40 per cent.

The data does not show how many individual students were given suspensions, however, as the same student might have been suspended several times in a school year.

Students can be suspended and excluded from Queensland state schools for a range of reasons, from bullying and taking drugs to displaying defiance and disrespect.

The Education Department said the most common reason was physical aggression, which accounted for a quarter of suspensions and exclusions in 2023.

Suspensions are controversial in education policy.

As new LNP Premier David Crisafulli was sworn in on October 28, the Queensland Teachers’ Union said it would urge the new government not to judge how schools were managing behaviour solely through suspension and exclusion data.

The LNP pledged to crack down on violence, vapes and drugs in schools, and an Education spokeswoman confirmed work on policy changes had begun.

“A plan to further support all state schools to maintain strong behavioural standards and implement a zero-tolerance policy for violence, vapes and drugs in our schools is currently in development,” she said.

The former Labor government introduced laws to give students greater powers to challenge suspensions for poor behaviour in state schools but dumped changes in April, amid a backlash.

Opponents argued new appeal rights would exacerbate the teacher shortage, and Oakey State High School principal Danny Keenan said leaders already took the time to make the right decision.

“Please don’t make our jobs harder and at the same time [harm] the chances of the vast majority of students succeeding because they can learn in a calm environment,” he told a parliamentary committee.

Queensland’s Human Rights Commissioner argued prep students should be exempt from suspensions, while advocacy groups said suspensions and exclusions disproportionately targeted students with a disability, Indigenous young people and students in out-of-home care.

Students with a disability received almost half of all short-term suspensions between 2016 and 2020, despite making up about 17 per cent of Queensland students.

“Disabled students are struggling in the classroom because they don’t have the supports they need to thrive,” the A Right to Learn campaign argues. “These kids need support, not punishment.”

From this term, schools are no longer required to report minor incidents, after a survey identified managing student behaviour and reporting incidents as the most common workload burden.

A department spokeswoman said students and staff deserved to learn and teach in safe, orderly and disciplined classrooms.

“Students whose behaviour does not meet the expected standards, despite the support extended to them, may face more serious disciplinary consequences such as suspension or exclusion,” she said.

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