PA
Governors at a primary school in Hull have launched an investigation after a headmistress and three of her teachers allegedly branded their pupils 'inbred' on Facebook.
Furious parents complained after spotting the staff from Westcott Primary School exchanging comments on the social networking site over the weekend. It began when teacher Stuart Clark complained online that he was 'fed up of bumping into children in town'. His colleague Nyanza Roberts then wrote: "No wonder everyone is thick - inbreeding must damage brain development." Headteacher Debbie Johnson then chipped in with the comment: "You're really on one today mrs... !! Xx."
A third teacher, Jane Johnson then added her two penn'orth, writing: "Massive queue of Westcott year 5/6 kids in Poundland! X"
Outraged mums and dads printed out the messages and plastered them around the streets near the school in protest at the teachers' behaviour.
Headteacher Debbie Johnson claimed the conversation had been taken out of context and insisted it was merely banter about how Hull locals supported their rugby teams!
Her words did little to appease angry parents though, with many demanding apologies. The local authority supported the inquiry launched by the school's governors, with Education chief Vanessa Harvey-Samuel saying: "We are taking this very seriously."
Are you surprised by the conversations people have online - as though no one else can see them?