The data also showed that 94 pupils in state primary schools were either suspended or permanently excluded for similar reasons in the same year. Among them, ten were in year one, and three were in year two, where the oldest students are only 7-years-old. One of the cases involved a child of nursery age.
Author and outspoken women's rights figure J.K. Rowling commented on the case, posting to X: "This is totalitarian insanity. If you think small children should be punished for being able to recognise sex, you are a dangerous zealot who should be nowhere near kids or in any position of authority over them."
Suspensions for "homophobia" or "transphobia" continued in 2023, with 82 recorded in the autumn term. Since the DfE started collecting this data in 2020/21, the number of students suspended or expelled for such behavior has gone up from 164 in 2021/22 to 178 in 2022/23.
More broadly, suspensions in primary schools increased by 41% in the autumn of 2023, while permanent exclusions went up by a third.
A Department for Education spokesperson told The Independent, “All pupils and staff should feel safe and protected at school and should never face violence or abuse.” They also emphasized the government's commitment to supporting schools in enforcing good behavior and improving student outcomes.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the Telegraph he could not comment on the specific case due to anonymity but stated, “The PM would not support those sorts of measures. Pupils and staff should never be subject to abuse, but any action taken to tackle behavior should also be proportionate.”
