Police close 'vicious' Brightlingsea school Facebook case

The governors were told in October there was a "belief in Brightlingsea that bullying was rife" at the school

A school that claimed it was the victim of a "vicious campaign" by parents did not hand over any evidence, police say.

Last month the BBC revealed how police were called over allegations made in Facebook messages about the Colne Community School in Brightlingsea.

The school has confirmed it contacted Essex Police about the matter.

However the police say while an officer was assigned to investigate, the case was closed because no examples of the offending messages were provided.

The Colne, in Brightlingsea, is part of the Thrive Partnership, whose executive heads Nardeep Sharma and Catherine Hutley are currently suspended.

Catherine Hutley (left) and Nardeep Sharma are currently suspended from their roles at Thrive Partnership Academy Trust

It is understood a string of allegations concerning the school were posted earlier this year on Facebook.

A police spokesman said the school contacted police about the messages and the force "recorded an allegation of malicious communications".

Although exact details of what was contained in the messages has not been confirmed, records obtained by the BBC show Daniel Fox, the associate head of school, briefed the governing body in February about the situation involving the school and parents.

According to the minutes of that meeting, he told governors "there had been a vicious campaign online from parents regarding their perceptions" and referred to "some unpleasant allegations".

The police spokesman said: "If the reporting party wants to get back in touch we invite them to make contact with the investigating officer."

The school said it had always striven to "engage with our parents over issues they raise" but that sometimes they could not always be "resolved to parental satisfaction".