Data Description
This dataset contains information on enrolments, suspensions, and expulsions in NSW government schools, which serve over 782,000 students across about 2,200 schools. Suspensions are implemented by school principals when a student displays unacceptable behaviour, allowing them to be temporarily removed from school. The goal of a suspension is to provide support during the student's absence to help manage challenging behaviours, ensuring a smooth return to school while protecting the wellbeing of staff and other students.
In more serious situations where other interventions have failed, a principal may consider expelling a student. It is important to ensure procedural fairness in these cases due to the seriousness of the situation. The vast majority of students in NSW government schools do not experience suspension. Of the over 782,000 students enrolled, less than ###% (###) of the total student population was suspended in 2024 semester 1. This dataset is essential for understanding how NSW government schools manage student behaviour and support their overall wellbeing.
Coverage
Data is currently only available for 2024. New data will be released annually in Term # of [that/the following] year. Archival copies of fact sheets are available for download, covering 2005-2023.
Data Notes
Grounds for suspension
The current suspension policy was implemented in Term 1, 2024 and includes the following features:
Under the 2024 Student Behaviour Policy:
- Principals may suspend a student for engaging in either:
- Behaviour of concern, or
- Serious behaviour of concern
Examples of behaviours that may lead to suspension include, but are not limited to:
- Continued/persistent disobedience and/or disruptive behaviour
- Malicious damage to or theft of property
- Verbal abuse
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Misuse of technology
- Discrimination, including on the basis of sex, race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity
- Seriously threatening or physically violent behaviour
- Possession, use or supply of prohibited substances, including vapes, alcohol or other drugs
The policy also:
- Reintroduced immediate suspensions for serious behaviours
- Removed the cap on the number of suspensions a student can receive in a year
- Introduced new behaviour categories that are not directly comparable with those used under previous policies
Total suspensions and total number of students suspended
The ‘Total suspensions’ figures represent the total instances of suspension not the number of students who had received a suspension. The ‘Total number of students suspended’ figures represent individual students that may have had one or more suspension in the reporting period.
Data overview
Calculations
To protect individual students’ identities, values under 5 are represented as <5 and n/a is used in the “total” column. Grand totals involving the number of students suspended may not match the total when adding up individual rows. This occurs when students are suspended across different categories (such as educational levels and SA4 groups) over the course of the year. The total number of enrolments throughout the fact sheet is based on head count rather than full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolments. Care should be taken as the enrolment figures may differ from enrolment numbers in other publications. The ground ‘Unknown / Not available' exists due to data issues across different third-party systems. This group represents a minor portion of the total suspended students, and when rounded to one decimal place, the value is displayed as 0.0%.
Time frame
Each year, the department’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation collects suspension data for all NSW public schools in July and December. Data is published twice a year for semester 1 and full year fact sheets.
Trends and observations
Analytical summary (2024 Semester 1)
- In NSW government schools, 1 in ### students (###%) were suspended at least once in Semester 1, 2024.
- Approximately 1 in ### (###%) primary school students and 1 in ### (###%) secondary school students were suspended during this period.
- In Semester 1, 2024, ### suspensions were for seriously threatening or engaging in physically violent behaviour, classified under serious behaviour of concern. Males accounted for approximately ###% of these suspensions.
- For suspensions relating to persistent disobedience, verbal abuse, and bullying—classified as behaviour of concern—there were ### suspensions, where males made up ###% of all suspensions in this category.
- Overall, the majority of students in NSW government schools were not suspended. With approximately 782,000 students enrolled, less than ###% were suspended at least once in Semester 1, 2024.
- [Area] had the lowest suspension rate (FTE) at ###%, while [Area] had the highest at ###%.
- A total of ### students were expelled in Semester 1, 2024, down slightly from ### in Semester 1, 2023. All expulsions were for serious behaviours of concern.
Limitations
Comparability
The 2024 Student Behaviour Policy introduced significant changes to the way student behaviour incidents are classified, recorded, and responded to in NSW government schools. Key changes included:
- Revised suspension categories (behaviour of concern and serious behaviour of concern)
- Removal of limits on the number of suspensions a student can receive in a year
- Reintroduction of immediate suspensions
- A new method for calculating suspension rates based on full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolments, which accounts for mobility and part-year enrolments
These changes mean that suspension data from 2024 is not directly comparable to data from previous years, including 2023. Both the definitions of behaviours and the calculation of suspension rates have changed, creating a new baseline for future monitoring.
Refer to the relevant policy documents and publications for further information and context on these changes.
Further reading
Previous years data
Previously issued 'Suspensions and expulsions in NSW government schools' fact sheets covering 2005 to 2023 are available for download below. Policy changes mean that suspension data from 2024 is not directly comparable to data from previous years. Both the definitions of behaviours and the calculation of suspension rates have changed, creating a new baseline for future monitoring.
