Yes.
A suspension does not have to be a whole day or a block of days — the statutory guidance gives a lunchtime suspension as its own worked example. That matters both ways: it is a real option short of a full day, and it is a real suspension, so the notification duties apply exactly as they would otherwise, and a lunchtime counts as half a school day for the governing board thresholds.
updated 26 Jul 2026last checked 14 Aug 2026
What the source actually says
“A suspension can also be for parts of the school day. For example, if a pupil’s behaviour at lunchtime is disruptive, they may be suspended from the school premises for the duration of the lunchtime period.”
— School suspensions and permanent exclusions, DfE, July 2026, para. 9 DfE
It is not a lighter-touch category with lighter-touch process:
“The legal requirements relating to the suspension, such as the headteacher’s duty to notify parents, apply in all cases.”
— School suspensions and permanent exclusions, DfE, July 2026, para. 9 DfE
The same flexibility runs through the whole power:
“A suspension does not have to be for a continuous period.”
— School suspensions and permanent exclusions, DfE, July 2026, para. 6 DfE
Sending a pupil home for part of a day without calling it a suspension is the thing to avoid — the label is what brings the parental notification and the recording with it.
Your school may still require it
Only the headteacher (or an authorised deputy) suspends, so your school can require every partial-day suspension to go through them and be recorded its way — that is process on top of the power, not a reason the power does not exist.
See also Can a pupil be sent home to cool off?, Can anyone other than the headteacher exclude a pupil?, Do I have to set work for a suspended pupil? and Does a permanently excluded pupil come off the register straight away?.