Thousands of students have been suspended from Hampshire schools in recent years, with hundreds of cases linked to racist, homophobic and disablist abuse.

Recent figures from the BBC Shared Data Unit revealed there were 83,971 suspensions and exclusions across Hampshire’s state-run schools between the autumn term of 2020/21 and the spring term of 2024/25.

More than 1,900 of those cases were linked to racist, homophobic or disablist abuse. The figures show 1,442 incidents related to racism, 349 linked to sexuality or gender identity, and 122 connected to disability.

Across the county, schools issued 83,462 suspensions during the period, alongside 509 permanent exclusions.

Secondary schools accounted for the vast majority of suspensions at 77 per cent, while special schools made up 14.2 per cent and primary schools five per cent.

Hampshire County Council said schools were being supported to tackle bullying and discriminatory behaviour through staff training, anti-bullying policies and improved monitoring systems.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “Our schools are committed to ensuring that all staff, including teachers, are fully supported in preventing and addressing bullying.”

They added that schools were encouraged to adopt a “whole school community” approach, working with parents and pupils to identify bullying early and respond consistently.

County councillor Jackie Porter, who sits on the authority’s education panel, said every suspension should be viewed as “a failure — not just of the school system, but of society”.

She said children should be able to “study, learn and play alongside other children in a safe environment”.

A Department for Education spokesperson described the figures as “shocking” and said racism and discrimination had “absolutely no place in our schools”.

They said the government was introducing new support measures aimed at improving behaviour, strengthening teacher training and helping schools respond more effectively to serious incidents.