The suspension rate for pupils in schools across Devon soared to the highest level on record in the last autumn term, new figures show.

An education minister has said suspensions and exclusions across England have "reached a crisis point", with the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on children's behaviour across England.

Department for Education figures show 7.1 suspensions per 100 pupils were handed out by schools in Devon in the 2023-24 autumn term.

This was up from 5.4 per 100 pupils the year before and was the highest figure on record.

In the 2019-20 autumn term, before the coronavirus pandemic, the suspension rate was just 2.2 per 100 pupils.

Comparable local records began in 2016-17.

Nationally, the suspension rate soared to 4.1 per 100 last autumn – almost double the pre-pandemic rate of 2.2.

Meanwhile, the number of total suspensions dished out rose by two fifths in a single year, with the Association of School and College Leaders warning the "whole system is teetering on the brink of collapse".

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL, added: "There is clearly a very serious problem facing schools with rising incidents of challenging behaviour and in particular persistent disruptive behaviour, which is the most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions.

"This has become a great deal worse since the pandemic, where many children experienced disruption to their education and isolation that are continuing to have a lasting impact.

"In many cases, schools simply do not have the resources to provide the level of specialist support required to prevent behavioural issues from escalating and so we see this ending up with suspensions and permanent exclusions being used as a last resort."

The figures also showed the number of permanent exclusions nationally rose by more than a third in the last year, with 4,168 handed out, including 53 in Devon.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders' union the NAHT, said: "While schools do their best to help pupils, they alone are not equipped to address these issues.

"But vital services like social care, children’s mental health and special educational needs provision have been cut or failed to keep pace with demand over the last decade.

"More investment in community support is needed, including the behaviour support teams which used to offer specialist help to young people but now need rebuilding."

Education minister Stephen Morgan said the surge in suspensions spiralled out of control under the Conservatives.

He added: "We have reached crisis point, but this Government is determined to turn the tide on poor behaviour, break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child can achieve and thrive.

"We’ve already announced a significant £1 billion investment in SEND, committed to providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every school, and our new regional improvement teams will work with schools to spread the highest standards of behaviour across our classrooms.

"But we know there is more to do, and are looking closely at how we can go further to support teachers and drive up standards for all our children."