SWINDON schools are the best in the region at tackling bullying.

Department of Education statistics analysed by Oxford Home Schooling showed that there was a 55 per cent decrease in bullying-related-exculsions between 2016 and 2018.

One pupil in 3,506 was excluded for in 2016/17 compared to one per 4,064 students in 2017/18.

This is better than the national average of one in 2,387 students and higher than the average decrease of 14 per cent over the two years.

Oxford Home Schooling principal Dr Nick Smith said: “It is encouraging to see that in many areas the numbers of exclusions for bullying are decreasing.

"While this doesn’t necessarily mean that bullying is becoming less of an issue, it might suggest that schools are taking measures to deal with the problem, rather than just removing the children involved."

The south west as a whole saw an 11 per cent decrease.