A WEBSITE where York pupils can rate their teacher's performance has sparked fury and condemnation.

RateMyTeachers.co.uk is a website for pupils and parents to voice their opinions on teachers and give them marks out of five on their performance in the classroom.

The website has comments and ratings posted on teachers at numerous York schools, ranging from the good to the bad and downright ugly.

One unforgiving pupil at a city secondary school says of his head teacher: "What a waste of space. He couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. None of the students or teachers like him. He's useless"

Meanwhile, a female PE teacher at another York secondary school is described as being "as thick as Barbie but not as fit" and, in another case, a pupil says of their male teacher "grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!! hes so mean!! and doesnt no how 2 control any1!!"

City of York Council's education chief, Carol Runciman, described such sites as "appalling" for allowing what she sees as the bullying of teachers online.

Coun Runciman, the council's executive member for children's services, said: "I think this is a form of bullying. If people want to express their opinions that's one thing, but if people are intimidated by it, and that's what it is intended to achieve, then it should be stopped and stopped quickly."

David Ellis, the head teacher of Oaklands School, Acomb, said although he did not think banning such websites would work, the harm they could do should not be underestimated.

Mr Ellis said: "I think our role as a school would be to encourage young people to respect the adults that they work with as we'd expect them to respect anybody else. They should understand that something that may seem to be a joke and funny in the short term could cause great pain and distress in the longer term."

He said policing websites was nearly impossible, but if pupils were found to be taking part, disciplinary action would be taken.

Their comments come as Education Secretary Alan Johnson yesterday urged the providers of websites like YouTube and RateMyTeachers to "take firmer action to block or remove offensive school videos in the same way that they have commendably cut pornographic content".

Selby Labour MP John Grogan backed Mr Johnson's stance. He said: "Teachers deserve respect both from their pupils and the wider community, although sites like these have done a good job encouraging freedom of speech, I think there should be limits."

Nick Seaton, chairman of the York-based parent lobbying group Campaign For Real Education, has been campaigning for parents' rights for 20 years.

He said websites did have a moral obligation to monitor their content, but students and parents also had a right to raise concerns.

"Youngsters have a right to voice concerns over the quality of their teachers and their education. Research shows that there are failing schools in this country and there are pupils being failed by the system," said Mr Seaton.

"I think it's good that parents and pupils have some forum to express concerns about schools and teaching and it's wrong for Government ministers to try and silence that voice.

"Obviously some youngsters may have a grudge against a teacher and use these sites to get their own back and that's not such a good thing."

RateMyTeachers website insists that it does read and moderate its content and argues 70 per cent of its postings are positive.

YouTube's website says it trusts its users to "be responsible, and millions of users respect that trust".


Education Secretary condemns cyber-bullying'

Education Secretary Alan Johnson called on websites to live up to their moral obligations and stop pupils posting inappropriate videos of their teachers on the internet.

But a union warned that Mr Johnson's demands were likely to fall on deaf ears.

The call came after repeated warnings that teachers are increasingly the target for so-called "cyber-bullying".

Youngsters with mobile phone cameras take pictures of teachers' cleavages and video lessons, delegates at this year's Easter union conferences have warned.

Mr Johnson condemned such bullying and said it was time the "big companies" running websites acted responsibly.

He told the NASUWT union's annual conference in Belfast: "Cyber-bullying is cruel and relentless, able to follow a child beyond the school gates and into their homes.

"The online harassment of teachers is causing some to consider leaving the profession because of the defamation and humiliation they are forced to suffer.

"New powers allow teachers to confiscate mobile phones which film them maliciously, but I believe there is a wider responsibility upon the providers of the sites which broadcast this material.

"These are big companies we are talking about: they have a social responsibility and moral obligation to act.

"Without the online approval which appeals to the innate insecurities of the bully, such sinister activities would have much less attraction.

"I am therefore calling on the providers of these sites to take firmer action to block or remove offensive school videos, in the same way that they have commendably cut pornographic content.

"By removing the platform, we'll blunt the appeal."