FURTHER serious concerns have been raised over a school for special needs pupils where a child was burnt and required hospital treatment.

The Northern Echo revealed last month how 11-year-old Billy Joseph Kelly was scalded when another pupil at Beaumont Hill Academy School, in Darlington, threw a cup of hot water over him.

Now a teacher at the school, which was recently branded inadequate by Ofsted inspectors, has approached The Northern Echo to claim children are not being kept safe.

Meanwhile, Darlington Borough Council, which has a statutory role in investigating safeguarding issues, has also said it is seeking assurances over the safety of pupils.

The teacher, who does not want to be named, said the school’s Stephenson Centre, which caters for children with social, emotional and mental health conditions who have been taken out of mainstream schools, was out of control.

“The children are in control, they walk out during the day and sometimes don’t come back,” the teacher said.

“These are children with special needs and need to be kept safe by the adults in the school, but this isn’t happening.

“Someone needs to do something to make our leaders take responsibility as working in this school is extremely unpleasant.”

The teacher feared raising a formal complaint as they had no confidence they would be protected by senior managers, who were said to be failing to accept things needed to change.

The behaviour and safety section of the school website says it prides itself on providing a “nurturing, tolerant and caring environment where students and staff feel safe”.

However it makes no mention of the recent Ofsted report, instead referring to a previous inspection from May 2013.

Last month’s Ofsted report rated approaches to management, quality of teaching and pupil behaviour as inadequate and said some methods being used by members of staff to restrain unruly pupils carried a high level of risk.

The school’s principal Caroline Green said it was dismayed and extremely disappointed with the report and claimed it painted a “wholly inaccurate” picture.

In a statement the school said it was disappointed to hear of the teacher's allegations, although it did not specifically address them.

The statement said: “[Staff] work very hard to support vulnerable groups of young people and take pride in the difference they are able to make to their lives.

“All staff are encouraged to raise any concerns they have with a member of the school’s leadership team or, in the unlikely event that anyone may feel unable to do so, other routes are available to them.”

A Darlington Borough Council spokesman said: “Safeguarding was highlighted during the recent Ofsted inspection on Beaumont Hill Academy.

“We are working with partners, including the Regional Schools Commissioner, to be assured that children at Beaumont Hill are safe.”