The number of primary school pupils suspended for attacking teachers has risen, official figures show.

Students aged five to 11 were suspended 9,080 times for physical assault against an adult in the 2012/13 school year, up from 8,630 in 2011/12, according to Department for Education figures.

Additionally, 210 pupils were permanently excluded from their primary schools in 2012/13 for physically attacking an adult - including teachers - which amounts to more than one every single day of the school year.

However, the total number fixed period exclusions fell in secondary schools for the sixth year in a row to 215,560 the figures show.

The total number of state pupils being permanently expelled from primary and secondary school has also fallen, from 5,080 in 2011/12 to 4,570 last year, the statistics show.

Boys are still three times as likely to be permanently or temporarily removed from school than girls.

The government said the statistics showed how its reforms to give headteachers powers to stamp out bad behaviour were working.

School reform minister Nick Gibb said: “A tiny minority of disruptive children can absorb almost all of a teacher’s time and attention, and have an enormously negative impact on the education of other pupils.

“We have given heads and teachers more power than ever before to ensure strong discipline in school, so they can take action before exclusion becomes necessary.

“These figures give further confirmation that our reforms are starting to have a real impact on improving behaviour in schools and this is supported by teachers on the ground.”

He added that in 2013, more teachers rated their school’s behaviour as good or very good than when previously surveyed in 2008.

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