{"id":33223,"date":"2015-04-07T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cms.fiveaa.com.au\/uncategorized\/young-suspensions-on-the-rise\/"},"modified":"2015-04-07T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T00:00:00","slug":"young-suspensions-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms.fiveaa.com.au\/show\/young-suspensions-on-the-rise\/","title":{"rendered":"Young suspensions on the rise"},"content":{"rendered":"
Image | Fairfax<\/h6>\n

Despite overall suspensions declining, the number of SA’s youngest students being suspended has increased.<\/h3>\n

Numbers of suspensions for students aged four to six and seven to nine are up.<\/p>\n

Head of the Education Department Tony Harrison told FIVEAA there are several reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren come to school with a variety of complex behaviours\u2026 including violence,\u201d Mr Harrison said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey just can\u2019t operate within a disciplined environment when they have to mix with other children.\u201d<\/p>\n

But suspensions of 10-year-olds have fallen by 12 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuspensions and exclusions have been continually declining year on year over five years,\u201d Mr Harrison said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is very concerning to see young children that are having to be suspended from school.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said these were \u201crelatively small numbers, even though no suspension is a good suspension\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really big call, and is a call of last resort\u2026 left up to the principal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

LISTEN to the full interview here:<\/strong><\/p>\n