AN entire school year has been kicked out of Bury CE High School.

The shock exclusion happened yesterday when headteacher Mr Philip Grady ordered Year 11 off the premises.

It is believed the action was triggered after a fire alarm was deliberately set off.

Stunned prefect Nicola Spencer (16) said: "We were told we would all suffer because of a few people. It's stupid. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry."

Her friend, Claire Okpoti (17) added: "To say the headteacher has over-reacted is an understatement.

"This is our last week at school before the GCSEs. It's a once in a lifetime moment but we cannot celebrate it now or say goodbye to our friends properly."

Last Friday Mr Grady warned the pupils about what would be deemed acceptable behaviour in this, their last week of lessons.

He told them what would be the consequences of disregarding those instructions. But by Wednesday seven pupils were excluded from the school for incidents such as rudeness and disobedience to staff, hiding in toilets instead of attending class, and the end-of-school tradition of signing each others' shirts.

Mr Grady said: "A number of Year 11 pupils have chosen to disregard my instructions and I have taken the action I promised, which is to exclude them for the rest of the week and bar them from all leavers' activities."

But by yesterday, more pupils had been excluded, and it is thought the fire alarm was the final straw.

The pupils were lined up in the yard and then ordered to leave before the school day was over.

In a statement Mr Grady said: "Following a series of serious incidents of poor behaviour by a small but unidentifiable number of Year 11 pupils on the penultimate day before study leave I took the decision to call all Year 11 together. They were given their examination briefing and sent home an hour early."

He added: "The arrangements for the leaving day have been cancelled but pupils will still receive their records of achievement. They will take their examinations in the usual way and I am confident that today's events will have no impact on their results. It is a matter of great regret that actions of a small number of pupils have spoiled the end of term for the vast majority of our pupils who are well behaved and co-operative."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.