Hull teacher calls parents ‘thick and inbred’ on social networking site

Parents of children at Westcott Primary School are demanding disciplinary action against the female teacher, after a conversation on Facebook which also apparently involved the headteacher Debbie Johnson and other staff.

When one of them said he was in town and fed up of bumping into children, the teacher apparently responded: “do you mean top end of holderness road? that’s bout as far as anyone in east hull goes! no wonder everyone is thick...inbreeding must damage brain development.”

Hull Council has launched an investigation and yesterday the chair of the governors Mary Wallace wrote to parents to offer a “sincere apology.”

Some of the parents found out about the incident after copies of the chat were posted on lampposts and put through letterboxes.

The teacher was not at school yesterday, and parents leaving in the afternoon said a number of people were threatening to remove their children from her class if she returned. The school has just been removed from Oftsed’s “special measures” blacklist.

One mother said: “How can anyone respect or trust someone who has made these comments?

“We’ve just had to go through difficulties of being in special measures; this needs dealing with quickly, sensitively but properly.”

Another said: “There’s no need for it; they are supposed to be looked up to. It isn’t good for the kids.”

One mother said she didn’t feel like bringing her children to school: “I think it is disgusting. I don’t really want to bring my children to school to be honest – but I would get prosecuted if I didn’t.”

Others described her as a “fantastic” teacher but said the chat had badly backfired.

In the letter to parents, Mrs Wallace said she wanted to “express a sincere apology for any offence caused by these remarks.”

She added: “I would like to reassure you that the matter is being taken very seriously. I have asked the local authority to undertake the investigation on behalf of the Interim Executive Board in the interest of impartiality.”

In a statement released by Hull Council the headteacher Debbie Johnson claimed the comments had been taken out of context. She said: “While we are taking these comments seriously, they have been taken out of context. The full detail of the conversation was banter about rugby from both sides of the city.”

Hull Council declined to say whether the teacher had been suspended.

Council leader Steve Brady – who was born in east Hull – said the incident should serve as a warning about the dangers of the internet. He said: “If it has been said it is an insult to the parents and children and wider community in east Hull; the remarks are not called for and are very damaging. The problem with Facebook is the instant comments – it’s not like the days of letter writing when you had to get a stamp and go to the Post Office and had time to think.

“They need to remember they are employees of Hull City Council and I would advise everybody, clearly everybody who works for the council, to think before you make comments.”

The council’s head of learning and localities Vanessa Harvey-Samuel said: “We are taking this very seriously and are pleased to support the governing body. We will be investigating the matter thoroughly and appropriate action will be taken. Parents play a key part in the life of any school and in their child’s education and are greatly valued for the support they can bring to school life.

“All professionals need to be mindful of professional expectations in relation to all communication, even in their own time. All schools have been issued with guidance for professionals that work with children.”

The school, which has about 250 pupils, went into special measures last March. It was removed from the blacklist after an inspection at the beginning of the month, although the report has still to be published.