BREACHES of coronavirus rules were behind dozens of school exclusions in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole last year, figures reveal.

Department for Education figures show "wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures" was a reason behind 54 exclusions from schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the 2020-21 academic year, 53 of which were temporary exclusions and one permanent.

Of these, 44 were in secondary schools and 10 in primary schools.

Labour said the Government's lack of clear guidance over pandemic measures threatened children's futures, and contributed to almost 13,000 of these exclusions nationally.

Children across England were excluded 12,965 times for reasons including non-compliance with social distancing, causing distress such as by purposefully coughing near to others, or any other deliberate breach of a school's public health measures.

Julie McCulloch, director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said schools worked very hard to keep pupils and staff safe during the pandemic, and it is not unreasonable that young people should be expected to comply with these measures.

However, Stephen Morgan MP, Labour’s shadow schools minister, said: “The Conservatives have created deep divides in school exclusions, with the lack of clear guidance, especially during the pandemic, threatening children’s futures and failing communities.

“The Government’s own independent review highlights the need to tackle exclusions and ensure children are supported in order to improve life chances.

“No parent wants to see their child excluded from school but once again the Conservatives have treated our children and their future opportunities as an afterthought.”

In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, there were a total of 2,995 exclusions (2,947 temporary and 48 permanent) for all reasons last year – down from 3,077 in 2019-20.

Of the 16 possible reasons for exclusion, public health was the ninth most frequent.

The most common reasons were for persistent disruptive behaviour (41 per cent), verbal abuse or threatening behaviour towards an adult (18 per cent) and physical assault against a pupil (16 per cent).