The number of children being suspended from schools in south-east England has reached its highest level in six years, government figures have shown.
The recently released figures, which analyses data going back to 2016, reveals an increase in suspension rates in all four regional local authorities.
It comes amid pressure on schools which educate excluded young people.
The government said it backed head teachers using suspension and permanent exclusion where warranted.
East Sussex had a rate of 4.25 pupils per 100 being suspended during the 2022/23 autumn term, while Surrey had a rate of 2.35 pupils per 100 being suspended. The rates were more than double those recorded for the 2016/17 autumn term, at 2.05 (East Sussex) and 1.10 (Surrey).
Both West Sussex and Kent had a rate of 2.14 during the 2022/23 autumn term, significantly higher than in 2016/17, at 1.20 (West Sussex) and 1.45 (Kent).
The September-December 2022 term was the most recent period to be analysed in the Department for Education (DfE) data.
The figures cover state-funded primary and secondary schools, and special educational needs (SEN) schools.
The most common reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions nationally was persistent disruptive behaviour, the government added.
