Pupils' details sent out in school error

St Peter's Collegiate CofE School in Wolverhampton sent out a document including the names, addresses and dates of birth of other pupils to a mother who had requested details about her son.

The parent, who has asked not to be named, had written to the school to ask for a copy of her son's Common Assessment Framework, CAF, form, a confidential document that contains details of behavioural support offered to pupils.

But she said she was stunned when she found the package sent out by the school included a document containing the personal details of 88 other pupils.

School bosses have described the incident as 'an administrative error' and have since launched an investigation to find out how the safeguarding breach occurred.

The parent told the Express & Star: "I couldn't believe it. These are personal details that should be kept private and not sent out to just anyone.

"It makes me worried that my son's information could have been sent out to other parents. There should be procedures in place to stop this from happening."

The parent has sent the document to the Diocese of Lichfield, which runs St Peter's, requesting an explanation as to how the error occurred.

"I want answers," added the parent. "The school needs to reassure parents that it won't happen again."

Carol Oliver, a spokesman for the Compton Park school, said: "We are quite sure this was an administrative error, although the details are not certain at this stage.

"We will be launching a thorough investigation into how this happened."

Councillor Claire Darke, who represents Park ward on Wolverhampton City Council, said she was 'concerned' to hear that confidential material had been sent out.

"The school has a duty of data protection to ensure such information is not seen by the public," she said. "One hopes this is just a dreadful mistake."

Earlier this year the school plummeted to the bottom of the exam league tables in the city after a dispute over the way results were calculated.

The school entered pupils into GCSE English Literature and GCSE Combined English exams which had overlapping content, meaning the results were void under DfE rules when calculating the tables.

St Peter's became mired in controversy last year after popular science teacher Richard West was sacked after he accidentally shot a student in the leg with a mock device during a physics experiment.

Mr West was later reinstated following an appeal but resigned his post soon after.