Breaches of coronavirus rules were behind more than a dozen school exclusions in Bracknell Forest last year, figures reveal.

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.

Department for Education figures show "wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures" was a reason behind 19 exclusions from schools in Bracknell Forest in the 2020-21 academic year – all of which were temporary exclusions.

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Of these, 17 were in secondary schools and two in primary schools.

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.

Schools were able to list multiple reasons for each exclusion for the first time last year.

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.

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“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 Bracknell Forest, there were a total of 533 exclusions (532 temporary and one permanent) for all reasons last year – down from 569 in 2019-20.

Figures for the most recent academic year include a period in spring 2021 when Covid-19 restrictions meant that only key worker and vulnerable children were attending school in person, with others being educated remotely.

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