The figures were obtained by the Conservatives in response to a parliamentary question by shadow schools spokesman Michael Gove.
They show the number of very young children who have been suspended and the reasons, which include incidents such as assaulting other pupils and adults, damage, persistent disruptive behaviour, theft and sexual misconduct.
There were 4,150 suspensions of children under five in 2006-2007. Among three-year-olds, 260 were suspended for physical assault against adults or pupils and 40 were suspended for verbal abuse and threatening behaviour.
Professor Donald Christie from the Department of Childhood and Primary Studies at the University of Strathclyde said the findings showed the need for higher adult:child ratios and smaller class sizes.
He told Nursery World, 'I think these kinds of figures reflect a system under stress.' In Norway and Sweden, where adult:child ratios are higher, 'the practice of suspending pre-school children would fill practitioners with incredulity.'
He added, 'Suspension and exclusion should be an absolutely last resort. Suspension seems to be a response to a situation the school feels incapable of dealing with. You would have hoped services would be in place to deal with these problems.'
He said that schools should 'create conditions to foster pro-social behaviour rather than reacting to anti-social behaviour.'
The Pre-school Learning Alliance said the figures were 'troubling'. Michael Freeston, its director of quality improvement, said most unwanted behaviour in young children could be traced to wider problems in their home circumstances.
'If you exclude a child you are giving them the message that they are unwanted rather than it being the behaviour that is unwanted, which can only be setting them up for greater problems with their emotional development,' he said.
Maintained primary schools: Number of fixed period exclusions by age and
reason for exclusion, England, 2006-07
2 and Age 3 Age 4 5
under
Physical assault against a pupil 10 120 300 580
Physical assault against an adult * 140 420 890
Verbal abuse/threatening
behaviour against a pupil 0 10 30 90
Verbal abuse/threatening
behaviour against an adult * 30 70 210
Damage 0 10 10 40
Persistent disruptive behaviour 0 50 260 670
Sexual misconduct 0 * * 20
*Less than 5
Source: School Census
