School suspends 19 teenage pupils for 'disrespectful behaviour'

A County Antrim school suspended a group of 19 male teenage pupils for a day due to "disruptive and disrespectful behaviour".

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for Laurelhill Community College said they would "work closely with both pupils and parents to resolve any issues and concerns".

Laurelhill Community College is a large post-primary school in Lisburn with over 900 pupils.

It has been reported that some parents have complained to the school governors about the decision to suspend their children.

In an email explaining the suspensions seen by BBC News NI, the school principal Nicola Stevenson said "disruptive" behaviour had "resulted in a number of substitute teachers refusing to teach in the school and a number of female teachers being upset to the point where they have had to go home".

She also said that during a school assembly on 8 January a group of boys "were being disruptive, speaking over the top of me, making noises, laughing and being disrespectful and disrupting the assembly for others".

Stevenson also said that she had been confronted by "a group of approximately 15 pupils who surrounded me outside my office".

She said that there had been "disruptive and disrespectful behaviour directed towards staff by an increasing number" of boys, and that the school had arranged a number of workshops "to support us in challenging attitudes around masculinity, in order to promote healthy relationships and create positive cultural changes in school".

In an additional statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for Laurelhill Community College said they were "firmly committed to creating a welcoming, safe and positive learning environment for all pupils and staff within our school community".

"Respect for each other is a cornerstone of our school community and helps to foster a nurturing and supportive environment for everyone.

"We strive to build strong relationships with pupils and families, and work hard to guide young people to make positive and constructive choices, enabling them to reach their full potential."

They said it would be inappropriate to comment on individual pupils, but that "we work closely with both pupils and parents to resolve any issues and concerns through restorative practices".

"This approach helps pupils understand the impact of their actions, develop empathy for others and, where necessary, take steps to change behaviours."

In the 2023/24 school year, according to the Department of Education (DE), 5,393 pupils were suspended from schools in Northern Ireland.

Persistent infringements of school rules was the most common reason for a pupil to be suspended.

A physical attacks on a pupil was the next most common reason followed by verbal abuse of staff.

The head of the NAHT union in Northern Ireland, which represents many school principals, Dr Graham Gault, said that suspension was "always a last resort".

"The first duty of a school leader is the wellbeing of the students and staff in their school," he said.

"Parents rightly expect headteachers to ensure that classrooms are places where children are able to learn.

"It is vital that, when faced with behaviour that compromises the wellbeing of other students and their ability to learn, school leaders are able to implement the policies they have in place for this purpose."

He said that suspension was "sometimes it is the appropriate and proportionate response to ensure that schools are environments where learning and teaching can happen positively for all".

"It is so important that parents and communities support schools in managing challenging behaviour and work together to make sure every student is supported to have the best outcome," he said.

"Suspension is not the end of the line for students and will come with additional attention and support to continue to tackle the problematic behaviour as they return."