Suspensions, holiday fines and behaviour policies: The Late Show with Tom Rogers

In this show, Tom Rogers is joined by practising headteacher Rich Warkden for a wide-ranging and honest discussion about some of the most contentious issues facing schools right now. They unpack the government’s proposals around suspensions and internal exclusions, questioning whether keeping pupils on site during suspensions is realistic, properly funded, or blurs the line between education and childcare. The conversation explores parental responsibility, behaviour policy, staffing pressures, and whether schools are increasingly being asked to fix problems rooted in wider society. The discussion then turns to school holiday fines, with a clear-eyed look at whether fines actually change behaviour. Drawing on real school attendance data, Rich argues that rising fines have failed to deter term-time holidays, highlights the cost-of-living pressures facing families, and questions whether holiday companies should be part of the conversation. Mobile phones, social media, and their impact on behaviour and wellbeing also feature heavily, including reflections on school phone bans, Monday morning fallout from online activity, and whether schools have become the “fourth emergency service”.