Posing on her bed in a racy snap, teacher suspended for sultry selfies
‘All it was showing was a bit of leg’
PUPILS have rallied behind a teacher who was suspended after posting ‘provocative and sultry’ selfies on Facebook.
Mother-of-three Lydia Ferguson was formally reprimanded by the secondary school’s headteacher and escorted off the premises after uploading the photos, including one of her posing on a bed in high heels and a short white playsuit.
Yesterday Mrs Ferguson, who has been suspended while an investigation takes place, was back on social media defending herself. ‘My rule is that if my Grandad would be disgusted, I’d never post it,’ she said.
Pupils at Ousedale School in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, also backed the teacher, saying she looked ‘lovely’ in her Facebook pictures.
The 39-year-old is part of Ousedale’s pastoral care team, which sees her work with pupils experiencing trouble at school, including bullying. Her Facebook page was an ‘open’ one, meaning pupils and parents were free to view it. It featured many shots of her in low-cut tops and playsuits, alongside family photos.
After her suspension, the divorcee asked friends on the social media site if the picture could be seen as ‘inappropriate’.
When one replied ‘of course not’, Mrs Ferguson responded: ‘ Thank you for that, I don’t think it’s seductive or inappropriate either. I’ve always stuck to a rule on FB [ Facebook] and Insta [Instagram] that if my Grandad, bless his heart, would look at any of my pictures in disgust, then I would never post them.
‘I’m not worried about my pictures, but it seems some people are!’ In response to another comment, she said: ‘FML [f*** my life] right now!’ Pupils at the school, which has more than 2,000 pupils and is rated ‘good’ by Ofsted, said they heard Mrs Ferguson being told off by managers in the school office before she was suspended and escorted from the site two weeks ago. Recording the eightminute row on their phones, they reported hearing senior staff accuse her of being ‘sultry’ and ‘provocative’.
One of the pupils said: ‘Mrs Ferguson was saying she didn’t think there was anything wrong with the photo. All it was showing was a bit of leg.’ However headteacher Sue Carbert said their concerns had ‘no factual basis’. The students – who have accused the school of being too ‘prudish’ – have since shown their support by launching a petition called ‘Get Miss Ferguson Back’. It gained more than 250 signatures, including some from parents, within 24 hours. One pupil said: ‘She is a brilliant teacher. She is there to help students who have problems like bul- lying and stuff. She does so much to help us and we’re so upset she’s been suspended.’
The offending photo gained more than 300 comments on Facebook, but one pupil said: ‘Not a single person thinks there is anything inappropriate about it.’
Another said: ‘There is nothing wrong with the photo at all. We think Miss looks lovely.’
Last night Mrs Ferguson’s exhusband Neil Ferguson said: ‘She doesn’t want to make a comment while the investigation is ongoing. She has been suspended ... Lydia just wants to wait and see what the outcome is.’
Ousedale head Mrs Carbert said: ‘If we have any concerns about a staff member, this would not be discussed with students.
‘We are aware of rumours, but conclusions are being drawn which have no factual basis.’