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School report calls pupil 'wally'
Medway Council said an investigation was taking place
A secondary school has apologised after a confidential report book which called pupils names like "ding bat" and "wally" was found lying in a street.
The booklet, produced by The Howard School for boys, in Rainham, Kent, carried a specific message on its front page - "Do not leave lying around".
It was discovered on a pavement by a shopper in Rainham who then revealed its contents to BBC Radio Kent.
The school said it regretted the incident and was reviewing procedures.
The booklet for the 2006-07 academic year included the full names of children, plus notes on educational progression, socialising between pupils and parental issues.
All reports should be written on the basis that they could be shared with parents
Medway Council statement
The woman who found the booklet, who would only give her name as Bernice, told BBC Radio Kent: "I picked it up because it looked interesting and I thought it might be something of importance.
"Then I saw it was a school report, so I put it in my bag. When I got home and looked at it I couldn't believe what I was reading - some of it was scandalous."
It referred to one boy as a "ding bat" who was "away with the fairies", and another as being a "bit of a wally".
One entry also said a particular boy's mother was "quite rough".
Council 'concern'
The Howard School said: "We very much regret that a highly-confidential document about our students has got into the public domain.
"The purpose of the document is to provide targets and strategies for improvement for students in Year 8 to 11, and background information about the new intake."
The local education authority, Medway Council, said it would be investigating a clear breach of how school reports should be compiled.
A statement said: "Our expectation of... written reports is that they should be based on evidence, that they should differentiate fact from opinion, and that they should be expressed in clear and professional language.
"All reports should be written on the basis that they could be shared with parents.
"We are also very concerned that this document ended up where it did," the council concluded.
Classic - Posted on 2007-05-21 18:32:15
