School teachers caught calling students 'k**bhead' and 'b***end' in pupil's secret phone recording
School teachers have reportedly been caught calling students 'k**bhead' and 'b***end' after a pupil's secret phone recording was obtained.
Alex Burnham - the headteacher at Newhouse Academy in Greater Manchester, UK - has issued an apology letter to parents over the incident in October, reports the Manchester Evening News.
He noted that 'small numbers of staff members' were having a private conversation while the child's phone was confiscated with an audio app suspected to be running in the background.
A three hour and 37 minutes long audio file was obtained by the MEN.
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In one clip, an individual reportedly called a student a 'silly b***h' when asked: "Is she a kn**head?"
"Can be, why?," another responded, after a person was said to have called a child a 'b***end in class'.
As well as apologising, Mr Burnham said 'appropriate disciplinary action' has been taken against the individuals involved.
"As a school we believe that we should not only celebrate with you when there is positive news, but we are also open and transparent if there is more difficult information to share," the letter read.
"That is why we wanted to notify you about an incident that took place earlier this term where a student's phone was able to record a private conversation between a small number of staff members after their phone had been confiscated.
"The content of the discussion that was captured in no way aligns with our school's values as it included negative comments about several students, as well as references to popular culture that have no place in a school setting.
"I want to stress that this should not have happened, and we have taken the strongest possible action against those involved. We expect our community to be a place of integrity and respect. Where those values are not upheld then we will address that fairly and robustly."
An academy spokesperson also said: "Early in October we became aware that a student had recorded a private conversation between staff after their phone had been confiscated.
"The content of the discussion that was captured in no way aligns with our school's values, and there is no shying away from the fact that this should not have happened.
"We expect our community to be a place of integrity and respect. Where those values are not upheld then we will address that fairly, but robustly.
"The incident was immediately investigated, and, after seeking HR advice, the appropriate disciplinary action was taken against the individuals concerned.
"We also recognised that there was work needed to rebuild trust with those staff members. Where it was right to do so, we undertook restorative work so that the staff could apologise for their actions."
LADbible Group has contacted Newhouse Academy for further comment.
Anish Vij