Date published: 29 May 2026
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioner Natalie Lewis is calling for systemic reform to ensure that education programs are responsive to the individual needs of children and young people.
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A new report shows First Nations children, children with disability and children living in out-of-home care continue to be suspended or excluded from school at far higher rates than their peers.
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The number of Prep students who were suspended or excluded increased from 381 in 2023 to 621 in 2025 – 79 per cent of whom had disability.
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Investing in school readiness, sustained educational engagement and equitable learning opportunities is one of the most effective long-term investments in the futures of young people and community safety.
First Nations children, children with disability, and children living in out-of-home care are significantly more likely to be suspended or excluded from school in Queensland according to a report released today by Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Commissioner Natalie Lewis.
Beyond behaviour, which builds on last year’s Include me, don’t exclude me: The experiences of children and young people who have been suspended or excluded from Queensland state schools, shows alarming statistics for the rates at which First Nations children, children with disability, and children living in out-of-home care are suspended or excluded from school.
It found that approximately 24 per cent of all children who received a School Disciplinary Action (SDA) in 2025 were First Nations, 54 percent had disability, and five per cent were living in out-of-home care.
By comparison, those groups represent just 12 per cent, 27 per cent and one per cent of the Queensland student population respectively.
Not even Queensland’s youngest students were immune, with 621 prep students suspended last year – up from 381 in 2023. Of those prep students, 79 per cent had a diagnosed disability, despite children with disability accounting for only 21.6 per cent of prep enrolments.
The Commissioner said the figures likely underestimate the true scale of school exclusion, as they do not include children placed on reduced timetables or informally sent home during the school day.
The report also found that children experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage faced even higher rates of school disciplinary absence.
Importantly, Beyond behaviour begins examining the link between school exclusion and poverty. Of the 10 Queensland schools with the highest proportion of students receiving an SDA, seven were located in areas with the lowest socio-economic scores according to the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).
Quotes attributable to Commissioner Natalie Lewis
- “The overrepresentation of First Nations children, children with disability, and children in out-of-home care reflects structural inequalities across education and intersecting systems — not simply differences in behaviour.”
- “Failing to address inequity in the system perpetuates poor academic, socio-economic and health outcomes for disadvantaged children, including disengagement from education — a key driver of youth justice system contact.”
- “If we are serious about community safety, we must invest early in children’s learning, wellbeing and connection to school. Supporting school readiness, sustained engagement in education, and equitable opportunities to learn are among the most effective prevention investments we can make.”
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“I’m deeply concerned about the sharp increase in use of suspensions for prep students – children aged just four to six years old.”
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“I’m calling for reforms that align school disciplinary practices with Queensland’s human rights obligations and ensure all children remain engaged in safe, quality education.”
Read the Beyond behaviour report on our website.
For media information contact:
Vanessa Kendall | Queensland Family and Child Commission
Phone: 0423 565 108
Email: media@qfcc.qld.gov.au