'Teachers are quitting over vicious online abuse'

Kevin Flanagan obtained a £10,000 settlement after claiming he was accused of bullying

Teachers are facing "vicious" online abuse which is leading to many quitting the profession, a head teacher who sued the parents of two pupils has said.

Kevin Flanagan, head of Pensby High School in Wirral, obtained a court settlement of £10,000 after taking legal action against a couple he accused of harassing him. The parents denied his claims and the settlement was agreed in mediation.

Mr Flanagan said he feared increasingly "vicious and more vocal" abuse from parents was forcing teachers out of the profession.

"People are just quitting - giving up teaching, giving up headships," he said.

"We've had all sorts of allegations thrown at people via things like Facebook and social media, which we cannot answer back.

"We've had people in tears as a result of what's been said about them.

"We've had people thinking that they cannot do their job properly without fear of being targeted."

'People in tears'

He told BBC North West Tonight there had been a "huge increase" in online abuse in a manner which "would not be possible in a face-to-face situation".

"It gives people not only the space to project a level of vitriol and viciousness that they wouldn't otherwise do to your face, but it allows for that to happen in a manner that they cannot be questioned," he said.

"A one-off, you can live with it. But over time it's hard for people."

Mr Flanagan became headteacher of Pensby High School in 2015

He said people were saying and doing what they wanted online because they were "hidden from sight with no repercussions".

"You are on your own as a school - there is very little support from anyone," he added.

Mr Flanagan claimed he had been accused of "bullying" children when they were punished for breaking school rules.

He said taking legal action had been "the last resort" and followed efforts by school governors to seek to end the alleged harassment.

The head teacher also claimed there had been a "lack of support or meaningful intervention from the police and other relevant parties including, regrettably, the local authority".

Wirral Council declined to comment.

In a statement, Merseyside Police said there had been "no evidence of any criminal offences being disclosed or any course of conduct taking place which would amount to a criminal offence".

The parents involved were approached for comment.

They previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We strongly deny the allegations of harassment and assert that we have acted reasonably, transparently, and lawfully throughout."

A Department of Education representative said the Teaching Regulation Agency did not comment on individual cases.