School head in gun probe '˜was asked to quit'

The head of the Minster School at York, who was one of three staff suspended in May after unsecured air rifles were found on the premises, had been asked beforehand to leave and offered a severance package, according to information released by parents.

An investigation is under way into the firearms, which, the parents said, had been used under supervision by older pupils on school camping trips.

But it has now emerged that the head, Alex Donaldson, had already been told that the Chapter of York – which is also the governing body for York Minster – did not want him to remain.

Shash Trevett, a former governor of the school and a spokesperson for the parents, said most wanted Mr Donaldson to stay. She called issue an “act of educational iconoclasm” and said she was “appalled” at the Chapter.

The Chapter said it would not comment on individual employment issues.