Dinner lady in bullying claim 'sacked for talking to Press'

Carol Hill's decision to tell the parents their child had been tied and hit with a skipping rope at Great Tey Primary School, in Great Tey, Essex, was a breach of confidentiality which would have earned her a "final warning", head Deborah Crabb told a hearing in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

But by "talking" to a local newspaper, 61-year-old Mrs Hill brought the school into disrepute and had to be dismissed, she added.

The tribunal heard Mrs Hill, who earned around 125 a month monitoring children at lunchtimes and serving school meals, was suspended by Mrs Crabb pending a school inquiry in June 2009.

She told a local newspaper of her suspension and was then fired by governors for "gross misconduct" in September 2009 on Mrs Crabb's recommendation.

Mrs Hill says she was wrongly sacked, not given a correct notice period and is complaining that her rights to freedom of expression under European law were infringed.

The school disputes her claim for unfair dismissal and that the little girl was bullied.

Mrs Crabb said the youngster had been "taking part in an inappropriate game which had gone too far", having appeared to have been tied to a fence by her wrist, then "whipped" across the legs with a skipping rope, which the boys said was a game called "prisoners and guards".

Mrs Crabb said she had sent a letter to the girl's parents outlining what had happened.

The family subsequently made a complaint about her management of the school, asked police to investigate the "bullying" incident and removed their daughter from the school.

The hearing continues.