Schools across the North East have seen the biggest rise in disruptive classroom behaviour in England.
According to a new report, more pupils are getting distracted and misbehaving to the point of suspension.
Research analysing Department for Education suspension data found the region recorded the sharpest deterioration in behaviour over the past decade.
Seven in ten teenagers said their learning is being disrupted by other pupils.
The study, carried out by online revision platform Save My Exams, examined suspensions issued for persistent disruptive behaviour between the 2014/15 and 2024/25 academic years.
It found suspensions in the North East increased by 1,044 per cent during that period, rising from 4,266 to 48,817.
Within the local authorities, Sunderland recorded the biggest increase in the country alongside Cornwall, with suspensions for persistent disruptive behaviour climbing by almost 3,000 per cent over the decade.
Two other North East authorities were ranked in the top five for the largest increases - with South Tyneside ranking third and Gateshead fifth.
Hartlepool, Newcastle, Redcar and Cleveland, North Tyneside and Stockton also recorded increases of more than 1,600 per cent.
The figures highlight growing concerns about behaviour in schools in the UK, and the impact it is having on education.
25 per cent of pupils said disruption was a common occurrence.
59 per cent also reported feeling frustrated by lesson time being lost dealing with disruptive classmates.
A further quarter said poor behaviour made it harder to concentrate, while 13 per cent felt it had caused them to fall behind the curriculum.
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Nearly a quarter of teenagers said they regularly lost around 10 minutes of teaching time per lesson because of classroom disruption.
Save My Exams estimated this could amount to around 24 days of lost learning in a typical school year.
The local authority figures show significant variation across the region.
Middlesbrough only saw a 294 per cent increase and County Durham 362 per cent - both remaining well below the rises recorded elsewhere in the North East.
While rising suspension figures do not necessarily mean behaviour is worse in every classroom, the report argues that they show the growing challenges schools face in effective discipline to minimise the disruption to learning.
The report also highlights the wider impact of poor behaviour, as well-behaved pupils lose valuable learning time while teachers deal with disruption.
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