With students returning to the classroom tomorrow for Term 4, a new QUT-led study has revealed that one in five New South Wales public school students has been suspended or expelled at least once before finishing school, raising concerns about the long-term impacts of exclusionary discipline and the need for alternative behavioural support.

The longitudinal study is the first to track individual students’ disciplinary exclusions over time using population data from more than 71,000 NSW public school students.

It found that by Year 12, almost 20 per cent of students had experienced at least one suspension or expulsion, and two-thirds of those were excluded on multiple occasions.

Around one in 20 children were first suspended in primary school, with the rate accelerating sharply during the early years of high school.

First author Lauren Piltz from the QUT School of Psychology and Counselling said the study shows that exclusionary discipline is both common and cumulative.

“Most children who are suspended once are likely to be suspended again,” Ms Piltz said.

“For some students, exclusion becomes a pattern rather than a one-off consequence, and it often begins very early.”

The most frequent reasons for suspension, she said, were “aggressive behaviour” and “continued disobedience”, while serious offences such as weapons or drug-related incidents were rare.

The researchers also found strong inequities in who is most affected.

Boys, students from disadvantaged families and those living in regional and remote areas were significantly more likely to be excluded, and to be excluded repeatedly.

Children of unemployed parents were around 10 times more likely to experience 16 or more suspensions than their peers.

Corresponding-author Professor Kristin Laurens from the QUT School of Psychology and Counselling and QUT Centre for Inclusive Education said the findings show that suspensions do not solve problem behaviour and risk entrenching disadvantage.

“This research makes clear that exclusion is not an effective response,” Professor Laurens said.

“It doesn’t improve behaviour, and it disproportionately affects the students who already face the greatest barriers.

“Instead of removing children from school, we need to focus on inclusive, evidence-based strategies that teach social, emotional and behavioural skills from the early years.”

Professor Linda Graham, co-author from the QUT School of Education and Director of the QUT Centre for Inclusive Education, said the study highlighted the need for early intervention and whole-school approaches to behaviour management.

“Every suspension represents lost learning and lost connection with school,” Professor Graham said.

“If we want to improve student engagement and wellbeing, keeping children connected to education has to be the goal.”

The study was conducted as part of the NSW Child Development Study with support from the Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Council, and Department of Health and Aged Care Medical Research Future Fund.

Read the full paper, Students’ accumulation of disciplinary school exclusion experiences over time: Prevalence, patterns, and correlates in an Australian population cohort, published in the Children and Youth Services Review, online.