A HEADTEACHER who was suspended after saying some of her staff were “sat at home doing nothing” during lockdown said she has received support from around the country.

Pauline Wood, head of the “outstanding” Grange Park Primary in Sunderland, faces claims she brought the school into disrepute for her remarks made on a local radio station.

She faced disciplinary action for saying a minority of staff were spending more time on Netflix than working at home, and alleged they spoke out when they were asked to come to school three days a week.

Since the furore, Ms Wood claimed she has been backed by people from around the country.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, she said she was unable to speak to pupils, parents or staff at the school due to her suspension.

She said: “The messages of support that I’ve had over the weekend from people in education, head teachers and teachers that do go the extra mile and should be proud to be in the profession, they’re saying: ‘It’s about time somebody let the public know what it’s really like.’”

The head is now on gardening leave and will not get to say goodbye to pupils.

She said: “I feel quite cheated that it looks like I’m leaving under a bit of a cloud.

“I was just speaking the truth and just standing up for what a lot of people are thinking – parents, children, educators and good teachers.

“And I’m being denied the right to see my children.”