About this report

The Suspension report provides a high-level view of a school’s suspension data.

Executive Directors and Directors, Educational Leadership can view all schools within their Network. Principals can only see their own school data.

The Suspension report provides school leaders with an overview of suspension data for their school. It supports them to make informed decisions about wellbeing by analysing the characteristics of suspended students.

The Suspension report supports the collection of accurate and complete suspension data in a school. This data is collected and reported publicly twice per year.

The data in these reports are consistent with the department’s Student Behaviour Policy and Procedures and the previous Student Discipline in Government Schools Policy and Suspension and Expulsion Procedures.

Changes to the Suspension report

From the beginning of Term 4, 2022, the Student Behaviour Policy and Procedures came into effect, replacing the previous Student Discipline in Government Schools Policy and Suspension and Expulsion Procedures. This includes changes to the grounds of suspension, suspension durations, and the introduction of recording formal warnings and DEL approvals on suspension extensions that exceed the maximum number of suspensions and days a student can be suspended in a calendar year.

As the new grounds for suspension are vastly different to the previous reasons for suspension, the Suspension report is now split into two:

• Student Behaviour Policy – new suspension report starting from Term 4, 2022
• Student Discipline Policy – historical suspension report prior to Term 4, 2022

Student Behaviour Policy commencing Term 4 2022

Under the Student Behaviour Policy and Procedures, there are two grounds for suspension:

• Actual Harm,
  
• Unacceptable risk to health and safety, learning and/or wellbeing.

For reporting purposes, these two grounds can be further broken down by the following descriptors:

• Aggressive behaviour
• Physical violence
• Use or possession of a prohibited weapon, firearm or knife
• Assault
• Use of an implement as a weapon
• Possession, supply or use of a suspected drug or illegal substance
• Serious criminal behaviour related to the school
• Serious behaviours of concern - pending expulsion decision
• Bullying
• Psychological abuse
• Other - continuing, persistent behaviour posing unacceptable risk to another person's health and safety, learning and/or wellbeing
• Other - destruction of property that poses unacceptable risk to health and safety
• Cyber-bullying
• Verbal abuse
• Racism or discrimination
• Misuse of technology

The suspension duration is as follows:

• For students in K-2, a suspension duration is up to 5 school days
• For students in 3-12, a suspension duration is up to 10 school days

Note:

• If the school requires more time to put appropriate health and safety supports in place, an initial extension of up to 5 school days can be sought in consultation with the DEL. Every extension beyond the first extension requires DEL approval each time.
• A student can be suspended up to 3 times in a calendar year. After this, DEL approval is required for each new suspension.
• The maximum number of days a student can be suspended in a calendar year is:
  • For students in K-2 - 30 days
  • For students in 3-12 - 45 days
  • DEL approval is needed to go beyond this cap.

Student Discipline Policy – historical suspension report prior to Term 4, 2022

There are two types of suspension:

• Short suspensions (up to and including 4 school days) may be imposed for the following reasons:
  • Continued disobedience
  • Aggressive behaviour (including bullying and online bullying)
• Long suspensions (up to and including 20 school days) may be imposed for the following reasons:
  • Physical violence resulting in injury
  • Possession of prohibited weapon, firearm or knife
  • Possession of illegal substances
  • Serious criminal behaviour
  • Use of an implement as a weapon
  • Persistent or serious misbehaviour (including threats and bullying)

What does the Suspension report provide?

Each page of this report enables users to filter by:

• Executive Director Group
• Network Name
• School Name
• Calendar Years (2013-2018)
• Reason Category Name: Short or Long
• Reason Name
• Scholastic Year

Suspension Overview

This page displays four tables:

• Number of suspensions for each calendar year in each category of suspension
• Suspensions per enrolled student, shown as a percentage of students per cohort for each calendar year in each category of suspension
• Total suspension days for each calendar year in each category of suspension
• Average suspension length for each calendar year in each category of suspension.

Suspension Length Distribution

This page displays a box and whisker chart for each reason for suspension, including:

• Minimum and maximum number of days suspended
• Mean and median number of days suspended
• The interquartile range for each reason for suspension

Suspension by Scholastic Year

This page displays four tables:

• Number of suspensions for each calendar year for each scholastic year
• Suspensions per enrolled student, shown as a percentage for each calendar year and scholastic year
• Total suspension days for each calendar year in each scholastic year
• Average suspension length for each calendar year for each scholastic year

These four charts may be filtered by suspension type.

Suspension by Aboriginality

This page displays three tables:

• Number of suspensions for each calendar year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students who are neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander
• Total suspension days for each calendar year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students who are neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander
• Average suspension length for each calendar year for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and students who are neither Aboriginal nor Torres Strait Islander

These three charts may be filtered by suspension type.

Suspension by Gender

This page displays three tables:

• Number of suspensions for each calendar year for female and male students
• Total suspension days for each calendar year for female and male students
• Average suspension length for each calendar year for female and male students

These three charts may be filtered by suspension type.

Suspension by EAL/D

This page displays three tables:

• Number of suspensions for each calendar year for students according to EAL/D need:
  • To be assessed
  • Not required
  • Beginner
  • Emerging
  • Developing
  • Consolidating
  • Not specified
• Total suspension days for each calendar year for students according to EAL/D need
• Average suspension length for each calendar year for students according to EAL/D need

These three charts may be filtered by suspension type.

Suspension by Length

This page displays a table and a chart:

• The Number of Suspensions table shows the number of suspensions for each calendar year for each duration in days
• The chart is a graphical representation of the number of suspensions in days per calendar year

These charts may be filtered by suspension type.

Suspension Across Schools

This page displays one table to be used by Executive Directors and DELs:

• Suspensions per enrolled student for each school in a network or operational directorate.

This chart may be filtered by suspension type.

Please note that charts have coloured cells that indicate whether the data shows a positive trend (green), a neutral trend (yellow) or a negative trend (red).

Student Centric Report

This report shows student suspensions across schools for the purposes of:

• assessing the total number of days a student has already been suspended across two schools or has reached the maximum number of suspensions allowed in a calendar before DEL approval is required. Both schools can view the suspension history.
• showing where a student is in a shared enrolment between schools or has applied to enrol in a new school and a risk assessment is required. Only the new school is able to see the suspensions in this circumstance.

The report can be filtered by individual students to show suspensions and total number of days suspended in a school calendar year.

How can I use the Suspension report to support my school self-assessment?

The report allows users to identify student cohort groups that are being suspended in their school community (for example, scholastic year, reason name, gender, etc.). This supports schools to develop school programs to address the needs of these identified groups.

The report can allow users to identify wellbeing needs of their students and assist in identifying trends and impacts of anti-bullying policies and practices.

What should I look for?

The visualisations can help answer questions about the wellbeing needs of students in a school.

For example, is the school’s provision for behaviour management and wellbeing support sufficient? Could the school employ Community Liaison Officers to assist in communicating with families?

Where does this data come from?

The data comes from the department’s student enrolment and registration system, ERN, and other relevant third-party vendor systems.

How frequently is data updated?

Daily (overnight). Any changes made to the data in ERN will be visible in the Suspension report the next day.