Muslim pupils were forced to pray outside in the cold because there was no room for them in their school.
The boys at Oldham Academy North were pictured kneeling on the floor in their uniforms as temperatures dropped close to freezing last week, sparking outrage among parents.
In a statement apologising for what happened, the secondary school blamed a lack of space inside the school building after a flood.
Recent bad weather has caused chaos in large parts of the north, with floods and power cuts still ongoing after Storm Arwen.
Footage filmed inside the school was shared around social media this week, with some branding the treatment of the pupils ‘disgusting.’
Oldham Academy North said 15 of its classrooms were off limits due to the flood, meaning there were no spare classrooms.
Its statement, released alongside Oldham Council and the Oldham Interfaith Forum, said: ‘Earlier this week photos on social media began to circulate of students at The Oldham Academy North praying outside.
‘The Oldham Academy North, Oldham Interfaith Forum and Oldham Council would like to address the understandable concern this has caused.
‘Firstly, the academy would like to offer a wholehearted apology. The school is proud of its diversity and would never stop students from praying or ask them to pray outside.
‘This situation arose due to a lack of space in the school, caused by a flood which created a huge amount of damage and made 15 rooms unusable.
‘A room has since been found for students to pray in, and we understand they are happy with the space.
‘The academy is writing to parents today to fully explain what has happened, and are happy to meet with any members of the community who are concerned.’
Oldham’s council leader Arooj Shah, said he had spoken to the school and has promised a further investigation.
He said: ‘When we were made aware of the issues raised at the Oldham Academy North, we acted quickly to speak with the school to understand what had happened.
‘Having spoken with the school leaders I am glad they have apologised to those who were affected and will be writing to parents to explain.
‘Oldham is a proud and diverse borough and I know that the Oldham Academy North sees this as a strength for the school.
‘We will continue conversations with the school around this matter to investigate the situation properly.’
Oldham Mosques Council Development Officer, Mufti Helal Mahmood, said his organisation would be working with the school closely in future to ‘ensure incidents like this can be avoided in the future.’
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