Secret school report brands children 'dingbats' and 'wallies'

It described individual pupils with uncomplimentary words such as "dingbat", "wally" and "away with the fairies".

Parents came in for similarly blunt criticism, with one mother labelled "rough" and fathers described as lazy.

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Unfortunately for the teachers who wrote it, it did not remain secret. In fact it was found lying in the street by a shopper and its content has since been aired on local radio.

The headmaster of Howard School for Boys in Rainham, Kent, has been forced to apologise to angry parents, and has ordered an investigation.

Bernice Andrews, who found the report on the pavement, said: "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 'dingbat' who was 'away with the fairies', and another as being a 'bit of a wally'."

Another entry described a pupil's mother as being "quite rough" and accused her of providing her son with "unsuitable parenting". It also gave details of the man she was seeing.

The report, aimed at identifying the "additional educational needs" of a recent intake of 85 pupils, had strict instructions printed on the front saying: "Do not leave lying around."

It included the full names of children, plus notes on progress, learning difficulties, social habits and, in some cases, details about parents.

One mother, Jane Martin, 35, said: "I find it absolutely appalling. It's dreadful for those whose children have been named."

Maureen Ellinor, grandmother of a pupil, said: "There are a lot of very upset people around the school who are demanding to know how this happened. It has damaged the headteacher's relationship with the parents."

Deputy headmaster Bill Edgar said: "We very much regret that a highly-confidential document about our students got into the public domain. We are urgently reviewing our procedures to ensure this does not occur again."

The local education authority, Medway Council, said it would be investigating a clear breach of how school reports should be compiled.

A spokesman 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."