Pupils as young as five suspended from school over sexual misconduct

Children barely out of nursery are among record numbers being kicked out of class for sexual misconduct, with schools in England handing out almost 40 suspensions every school day.

Pupils were suspended 7,278 times for sexual misconduct in the 2024/25 school year – the highest total since the current recording method began in 2020, Department for Education figures show.

Shockingly, 20 children aged five or under were suspended for sexual misconduct, including 19 in reception year.

Five children in the infant years were expelled outright (with no conditional return) and primary schools alone handed out 759 of the suspensions.

Suspensions in the category cover sexual assaults, abuse, harassment and lewd behaviour, whether aimed at classmates or staff.

The sexual misconduct tally is up 12 per cent from 6,479 in the previous year – and the rise comes despite the total number of suspensions for all other reasons falling.

Ofsted has found sexual harassment normalised among schoolchildren, and teaching leaders warn that misogynist online influencers such as Andrew Tate are shaping how boys treat girls in class.

The Netflix drama Adolescence was backed by ministers for screening in secondary schools because it laid bare how online misogyny can poison teenage boys.

Pupils aged 13 and 14 were the most frequent offenders, with 1,564 suspensions between them.

The worst cases saw 143 pupils permanently excluded from school last year. Schools can log up to three reasons for each suspension.

Christopher McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said: 'These shocking figures represent only the tip of the iceberg of misogyny in schools. Most cases go unreported.

'Schools are no longer safe places for girls and for female teachers. The Government needs to greatly expand the option of single-sex schooling rather than allowing it to largely disappear.'

Soma Sara, chief executive of the Everyone's Invited charity, said: 'We hope that schools are now more conscious of the reality of sexual harassment and abuse among children and young people, and are better equipped to identify it and intervene when it happens.

'For too long, the harm children were experiencing was not always being recognised or understood by the adults around them.'

A government spokesman said: 'As part of our strategy to halve violence against women and girls, we have pledged to make sure all young people are taught about healthy relationships and consent from an early age.

'We have also forced tech companies to tackle harmful content and protect young people online through the Online Safety Act.'