'Shocking' rise in school suspensions for racist and homophobic abuse

Di'lasio added: "The problems we are seeing are huge societal issues which cannot be solved solely in the classroom.

"It feels as though we are living in an increasingly abrasive era."

Teaching union NASUWT has received "frequent reports" of teachers and pupils receiving prejudicial abuse, general secretary Matt Wrack said.

Wrack warned against "demonising young people" as he said issues in wider society are inevitably reflected in schools.

The union has raised concerns with the DfE over the need to improve the recording and monitoring of bullying.

Despite recommendations from Britain's equality regulator, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), it is not mandatory in England for schools to record incidents of bullying.

As such, robust data is lacking - but the Department for Education's statistics show how many times pupils have been suspended for abusing others.

Martha Boateng, director of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), said cuts to government funding and local authority contracts for outreach work had contributed to a "real reduction in schools' ability to undertake anti-bullying training".

She said the ABA once reached "tens of thousands of teachers" a year with its resources, but now reaches a fraction of that after introducing charging to meet costs.

BBC analysis of Charity Commission data for 15 organisations linked to school outreach work found 12 had faced cuts in central government grants and contracts since 2019 - including Show Racism the Red Card (SRTRC), which delivers anti-racism workshops in schools.

James Kingett, from SRTRC, said the charity had also lost a significant number of local authority contracts after austerity measures saw many councils repurpose funding.

He added that education, rather than "punitive punishment", is the solution to children displaying discriminatory behaviour where it comes from a "lack of understanding and without intention to offend".

Dr Greg Stride from the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) said central government cuts meant councils had less resource for valuable but non-statutory work like outreach or prevention programmes.

He added: "Councils' hands are tied."

LGBTQ+ charity JustLikeUs relies on donations to run its ambassador programme, which sees young people return to school to share their experiences.

Ambassador Cameron Wright, 21, said the work is vital in raising awareness and highlighting the impact of homophobia.

"I can go in and say I know what it's like, I had a difficult experience, but my life's amazing now."

Wright, who uses they/them pronouns, was left suicidal after being targeted with slurs and threats throughout school.

They said the experience had a lasting impact, adding: "School was consistently difficult and it was difficult because I was gay.

"Teachers couldn't get a handle on what was happening and school went from a safe place to a place I felt really excluded from."

Gypsy leader Billy Welch said his school visits have made a "huge difference" in tackling racism in Darlington as he urged the government and education authorities to support school outreach work.

Recalling a "very offensive" history of prejudice levelled at his community, he said: "Up and down the country, it's terrible, but in Darlington now, they make a space for the Gypsy children.

"I go into schools and talk about where we came from, our culture, our beliefs and traditions - it does so much good.

"The children love it but the ones who get the most out of it are the teachers, who go back with a different understanding and different approach."

A Department for Education spokesman called its data "shocking" and said discrimination had no place in schools, adding: "Every child deserves to learn in a safe and calm classroom."

He said the government is providing support for schools with the biggest behaviour challenges and that free breakfast clubs, improved teacher training and clearer guidance around suspensions would help tackle poor behaviour and ensure teachers have "clarity and confidence" to act swiftly when needed.

The DfE's Preventing and Tackling Bullying guidance says schools are required to have bullying prevention policies in place.

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