AN online petition set up to save a school teacher from the sack was signed by 1,000 people in 48 hours.

The petition calls for an investigation into the dismissal of Kathy Currie, Chepstow School's head of English.

The petition, created by a former assistant headteacher and English teacher at Chepstow School, Mike Rees, is calling for Councillor Elizabeth Hacket-Pain, Cabinet member for children's services in Monmouthshire, to investigate Kathy Currie's dismissal last November. According to Mr Rees, this investigation will show her dismissal to be unwarranted.

Mr Rees said: "Prior to 2012 Kathy Currie was considered a good teacher and head of department. The actions that have been taken since then, procedures designed to tackle poor performance, are considered by her supporters to be perverse.

"The performance of Chepstow's English department under Mrs Currie's direction has not been poor. In 2006 a report by Estyn stated that standards in English at KS3 and KS4 showed good features with no important shortcomings. Post 16 standards were described as being good with outstanding features.

"In recent years GCSE English results have been better than the Welsh average. In 2012 the school's GCSE English results were the ninth best of the 36 secondary schools in south-east Wales."

Commenting on the 2012 Estyn report which stated that there was a need to raise standards in English, Mr Rees said: "I agree that Chepstow's English results can and should be better, as is the case throughout Monmouthshire and in Wales generally, however to improve a school's performance is a collective effort. It depends on the overall strength of the department but it also depends on the quality of decisions made by a school's management team.

"The way in which Kathy has been made a scapegoat is what makes the decision to sack her so perverse. The widespread praise and appreciation she has received, as ex-students in particular have responded to this campaign, underlines this."

Mrs Currie began teaching English at Chepstow School in 1986 and became head of English in 1990.

For further information about the campaign go online to visit the website:

reinstatekathycurrie.wordpress.com or

Twitter page: @MR19502