Children as young as five kicked out of class for attacking teachers amid rise in badly behaved pupils since Covid

Pupils as young as five are being removed from school for physically attacking their teachers, new figures show.

In the 2022/23 academic year, 3,599 children in reception and nursery were either suspended or expelled for physical assault against an adult.

In addition, a further 1,890 were excluded for assaulting other children according to the official data, which is the latest available.

Yesterday, teaching unions warned the figures were the ‘tip of the iceberg’ as behaviour in schools has worsened since the pandemic.

It is thought the national lockdowns led to delays in young children being properly socialised, while older children got out of the habit of good classroom etiquette.

The figures also showed that across all age groups, more than 100 primary school pupils were excluded for theft in 2022/23.

Meanwhile 855 were punished for carrying weapons or other prohibited items into school and 148 faced sanctions for drug or alcohol misuse.

And 138 pupils were excluded for inappropriate use of social media or online technology, including one child aged five or younger.

Pupils as young as five are being removed from school for physically attacking their teachers

The data, obtained by The Telegraph, also suggested violence among primary school pupils may be getting worse.

The number of exclusions handed out for violent behaviour among pupils aged 11 and under shot up by 40 per cent in a single year.

In total, 25,724 suspensions and expulsions were recorded for physical assault during the autumn term in 2023, up from 18,259 in the same period the year before.

This included 15,283 assaults against adults and 10,441 against other children, which resulted in 421 primary school children being permanently expelled.

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said the figure reflects feedback from his members.

He told The Telegraph: ‘Levels of violence and abuse from pupils have increased since the pandemic.

‘These figures represent the tip of the iceberg as we know that in too many cases schools fail to deal effectively with serious assaults and attacks on teachers.

‘Schools… need to respond to the increase in violent and disruptive behaviour by ensuring there are effective behaviour management policies in place to deal with and deter acts of violence and abuse.’

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, said the figure reflects feedback from his members

Rosamund McNeil, assistant general secretary at the National Education Union, added: ‘Increases in behavioural issues at primary school level is a real worry.

‘Some 14 years of chronic underfunding has created larger class sizes and a loss of experienced teachers and pastoral posts.’

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.

‘The Education Secretary has been clear that she expects school leaders to enforce good behaviour and we are committed to a comprehensive programme of behaviour support for schools.

‘Our Plan for Change sets out our relentless focus on making sure every child gets the best life chances, no matter their background, including establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, providing access to mental health support and making attendance one of the four core priorities of our school improvement teams.’