Newport Pagnell teacher defends bedroom selfie

A teacher has defended the 'provacative' selfies she shared on Facebook after she was suspended by her school's headteacher.

Teenage pupils say they overheard their teacher Lydia Ferguson being told off after pictures showing her sat on the edge of her bed wearing a white dress appeared online.





The students launched a petition in support of their 'brilliant' teacher and said they thought she looked 'lovely'.



Now comments in her own defence have emerged, after the mother-of-three was complimented by friends on Facebook.

Below the post, one friend wrote 'love this pic, so natural' which prompted Miss Ferguson to ask if the picture could ever be deemed 'inappropriate'.

When her friend said 'of course not', Miss Ferguson said: 'Thank you for that, I don't think it's seductive or inappropriate either.

'I've always stuck to a rule on FB and Insta that if my Grandad, bless his heart, would look at any of my pictures in disgust, then I would never post them.'



She later added: 'I'm not worried about my pictures, but it seems some people are!'

Miss Ferguson also told another friend 'FML right now'.

The pupils heard Miss Ferguson being told off by managers before she was suspended and escorted from the site - and the teenagers even recorded the eight-minute row on their mobile phones.



After senior staff at the school discovered the picture of Miss Ferguson, who is in her 30s, they called a meeting with her in the school office.

Pupils at Ousedale School in Newport Pagnell, near Milton Keynes, Bucks., said they overheard the senior staff members accuse her of being 'sultry' and 'provocative' in the image.

'Miss Ferguson was saying she didn't think there was anything wrong with the photo. All it was showing was a bit of leg,' one of the pupils said.

The students watched staff march their teacher off the school premises as she was suspended while the school began an investigation.

Pupils have shown their support for Miss Ferguson, who is part of the pastoral care team, and launched a petition called 'Get Miss Ferguson Back', accusing the school of being too prudish.

One of them said: 'There is nothing wrong with the photo at all. We think Miss looks lovely.'

Another added: 'She is a brilliant teacher. She is there to help students who have problems like bullying and stuff. She does so much to help us and we're so upset she's been suspended.'



The petition had more than 250 signatures within just 24 hours of the pupils creating it - with some of the signatures coming from parents.

The picture itself generated more than 300 comments on Facebook, but one pupil said: 'Not a single person thinks there is anything inappropriate about it.'

Ousedale head teacher Sue 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.'