Two schools in Bury St Edmunds will start home learning from next week due to concerns over coronavirus.

Abbots Green Academy and Sybil Andrews Academy, which are both part of Unity Schools Partnership, have made the decision following consultation with Suffolk's public health team and the UK Health Security Agency.

The move comes after two suspected cases of the Omicron variant were identified between the two schools, on the Moreton Hall estate.

Suffolk County Council has confirmed there were 1,831 cases of Covid identified among students aged up to 19 throughout the county's schools in the last 10 days.

A total of 284 education settings recorded at least one positive test.

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The winter term is set to end in Suffolk next Friday.

Neither Sybil Andrews Academy nor Abbots Green Academy have revealed whether students will return to in-person teaching when the new term starts at the beginning of January.

A joint statement from both Sybil Andrews Academy and Abbots Green Academy said: "As staff, we share the disappointment that the festive week we had planned next week will be missed.

"Whilst this is far from the end of term we wished for, it remains our intention to be able to salvage Christmas, but more importantly the health and wellbeing of our school communities.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff and families for their ongoing support during this time and very much look forward to a healthy start to 2022."

Stuart Keeble, director of public health for Suffolk, said: "The staff at Sybil Andrews and Abbots Green academies and Unity Schools Partnership have worked extremely hard in implementing all necessary measures since the first suspected cases of Omicron emerged.

"The decision to move to online learning for the remainder of the term would not have been taken lightly.

"We must all live with caution until the impact of Omicron is fully understood.

"I urge everyone to get vaccinated and take the booster when it is offered, because this is by far the most effective form of defence that we have against the virus."