Bury saw almost two dozen pupils suspended from school in the last academic year due to breaking coronavirus restrictions.

The suspensions fall under “wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health”, which were introduced to minimise the spread of coronavirus.

A total of 22 pupils across Bury were ultimately suspended for breaking these rules.

On a whole, the number of suspensions for a range of reasons, in Bury, has risen since last year but it remains at a similar level to the national average.

Cllr Lucy Smith, the council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: “All of our schools did a brilliant job supporting and educating our young people through Covid measures.

“Being excluded from school has an impact both socially and mentally on a child, not just educationally, and that is why I am so pleased to see our numbers improve.

“Inclusion in school remains a key priority. I would like to thank our school leaders who have worked with us on this over what has been a challenging few years.”

The newly released figures also show that fewer pupils faced exclusion in 2020/21, compared to 2019/2020. 

Only 10 pupils across the borough were excluded in 2020/21, less than the 14 students who faced exclusion the previous year.