Schools often manage problem behaviours by enacting exclusionary school discipline policies that remove students via suspension (fixed-term exclusion) or expulsion (permanent exclusion). Evidence has linked these practices to a range of adverse educational, social, mental health and criminal consequences. 

This study characterises exclusionary school discipline practices in a representative, longitudinal, population-based cohort of 71,955 students attending New South Wales public schools in Australia.

The findings indicate that suspending and expelling children does not address problem behaviour, highlighting a need for more effective behaviour management approaches and socio-emotional behavioural skills promotion through the primary and secondary school years.

Key findings

• The most common categories of exclusion used were ‘aggressive behaviour’ and ‘continued disobedience’.
• The accumulation of exclusionary experiences started early, during primary school, for almost one in 20 students, and accelerated in junior secondary school.
• One fifth of students were excluded by end of school; approximately two-thirds more than once.
• Early (primary school) exclusion for approximately 5%; rate accelerated during junior secondary.
• Male, disadvantaged and geographically remote students were overrepresented.
• Overrepresentation of these groups was most prominent at higher exclusion frequencies.