Rena Black, the school’s headteacher, has been suspended while the council investigates complaints from staff and parents about her management style. Parents say the former Central Region failed to take their representations seriously and have raised the matter with Martin O’Neill, the local MP.

Keir Bloomer, the director of education, said: “A number of concerns began to emerge and although the general impression was that these were about general management rather than specific incidents I decided that an investigation into the management could not take place while the person responsible remained at the school.”

Mr Bloomer stressed that the suspension was not under disciplinary procedures and there was no presumption at this stage as to where the blame lay.