THE head of Danesfield Middle School is believed to have been suspended in the wake of an ongoing investigation into allegations that one of his teachers put sticky tape over the mouths of a class of 10 and 11-year-olds. Governors at the Church of England school in Williton - which is part of the newly formed Quantock Academy - are understood to have taken the action against executive headteacher Ian Bradbury a couple of days before Easter and less than a fortnight after the end of term. Both parents and the majority of staff are being kept in the dark about the reasons for Mr Bradbury's absence but it is, in part, believed to be related to the appointment of Priscilla Davo, the Spanish teacher at the centre of the sticky tape allegations. A letter from Cerys Randell, chairman of governors at the academy - which includes the first schools of St Peter's in Williton and Old Cleeve - was sent out to parents last Thursday. But it simply said that Mr Bradbury was currently absent from work. In the letter, Mrs Randell said she wanted to reassure parents that the governors were committed to making sure their children's education would not be affected. In Mr Bradbury's absence, associate headteacher Dan Perry is in overall charge of all three academy schools, supported by deputy headteacher Nigel Johnson. "They have, of course, the full support of the governing body and the staff in the three schools," said the letter. "We will all be working together to ensure the day-to-day work of the academy continues as usual." Mrs Randell went on to say that for reasons of confidentiality the details of any individual employee or their circumstances would not be discussed. And she said the education of pupils was of paramount importance. The Free Press contacted Mrs Randell yesterday (Thursday) to ask if there was anything further she could say about the situation. "There is nothing to report," she said. But she added that she hoped the matter would be concluded "sooner rather than later" and that protecting the confidentiality of staff was paramount. Mr Bradbury has been at the helm of Danesfield for many years and has overseen a number of improvements. In 2008 it was awarded specialist school status for science, technology, engineering and maths. Two years later, the Quantock Performing Arts Centre - a £747,000 publicly funded investment - was opened on the campus. The previously federated schools of Danesfield, St Peter's and Old Cleeve converted to an academy on March 1 this year. But the first working day of the new status was marred by the incident involving Ms Davo, who had joined Danesfield at the start of the year to teach her native language and art. She was suspended the following day and is now believed to have returned to her home in the Granada area of Spain, although the outcome of the investigation is still unknown. Parents who complained about her alleged action have not been told whether the investigation has been concluded. Rob Lovell, whose daughter Erin was one of the children affected, said parents had heard nothing. "We were told it would take some time so we don't know anything at the moment," he said. "The only thing we know is that Mr Bradbury is absent - nothing more."