TEACHERS and governors at one of the Forest's main secondary schools have hit back at claims that discipline has broken

Accusations of a "chronic breakdown of discipline" at Whitecross School in Lydney followed a protest by around 30 parents and children outside the school two weeks ago. It is claimed fire alarms are regularly set off by teachers to restore order at the school and there are running fights in the corridors. But at the core of the long-running protest is the deputy headteacher, Sue Brearley, who loaned a mobile phone to a pupil who discovered private pictures of her in her underwear and downloaded and spread them to the wider world.

In a strongly worded defence to students and parents, the school states: "We are very disappointed that the school has been represented in this way, as we believe very strongly that our staff and students work very hard together to uphold the high standards of behaviour that both you and our local community expect.

"We have already received a large number of comments from our students who are upset by what they see as an unfair representation of their school.

"We have more than 860 families and more than 1,000 students at Whitecross School. We regularly receive feedback, both formally and informally, from a wide variety of sources, regarding the conduct of our students and it is overwhelmingly positive. The vast number of our students are polite and well-behaved. Occasionally, as in all schools, a small number of students choose to behave inappropriately and are dealt with according to our Behaviour policy, which is available on the school website."