There’s rising concerns new school stand down figures are a symptom of a report on classroom behaviour. 

New Education Ministry data shows around 22,000 stand downs last year, up from 18,600 in 2022, higher than pre-pandemic figures. 

It comes after a new report last week found disruptive classroom behaviour has worsened in the last two years. 

PPTA President Chris Abercrombie told Mike Hosking that schools tend to use stand downs as a last resort. 

He says unfortunately sometimes it's the only way for schools to get extra support, triggering certain things in the ministry to route support. 

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