Rise in stand-downs

The number of students sent home from school has increased by 15% in the past five years, with more than 19,500 stand-downs so far this year, government data shows. However, a youth expert suspects the true number could be higher, saying schools sometimes stand down and suspend students off the books. August saw 3500 stand-downs across primary and secondary schools – the highest number in any month since 2017. Oscar*, (name changed) an 11-year-old with autism, anxiety and ADHD, was stood down twice in 2021 before he was kicked out of his school. Annebelle Leyden, Oscar’s mother, said the transition back to school after lockdown was made more difficult by bullying. Leyden didn’t believe stand-downs, suspensions and exclusions should exist: ‘‘I think they’re so damaging.’’