'Strongest possible action' taken as pupils called 'kn**head' and 'b***end' in recorded teachers' conversation
A letter signed by the school headteacher has been circulated to parents following the incident in October
A recording of a staff conversation from a student's confiscated phone appears to include derogatory terms such as 'kn**head', 'b***end' and 'silly b***h' being used to describe students.
Alex Burnham, the headteacher of Newhouse Academy, a school located in Heywood, north of Manchester in the UK, has issued a letter to parents addressing the incident, which occurred in October.
Burnham explained that the child's phone had captured a private conversation between 'a small number of staff members' after it was confiscated. It is believed an audio recording app was running when the device was taken from the student and continued recording, reports the Manchester Evening News.
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The M.E.N. received an audio clip, which a source claimed is a copy of the original. The clip is three hours and 37 minutes long. In the clip, one person seems to say 'silly b***h' about a student. Another person asks, seemingly about a pupil: "Is she a kn**head?" "Can be, why?" a voice replies. A person appears to say a child was a 'b***end in class' in another part of the clip.
Mr Burnham's letter stated the conversation among staff members 'included negative comments about several students' and 'in no way aligns with our school's values'. He confirmed the incident was investigated and 'appropriate disciplinary action' was taken.
Students named in the clip received apologies, Mr Burnham added. The letter read: "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.
"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 statement highlighted the gravity of the situation, adding: "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."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Newhouse Academy 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."
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