Pupils at Cullingworth school spoken to by police

Airedale and North Bradford Police said officers had been working with Parkside School in Cullingworth to find out who was behind the page, which first appeared on the social networking site Facebook.

Called ‘Parkside Secrets’, it included many abusive remarks and allegations, which were made anonymously but directed at named pupils.

Police said a number of pupils who had posted comments on the page had been interviewed by officers.

The page also provoked a hostile reaction from other Facebook users, who posted their own comments registering their disgust. It has now been permanently removed by Facebook after it briefly resurfaced when it was first taken down.

The father of a Parkside pupil, who had raised the alarm, said he was impressed at how quickly it was again removed by Facebook’s administrators, but he warned parents to be aware of the threat posed by cyber-bullies.

The parent, who did not want to be named, said: “They need to grow up and get a job or find something else to do, instead of playing silly games and hurting other people in the process.”

A police spokesman said: “A number of pupils were spoken to who had posted comments on the site and we have been working closely with the school in relation to the concerns raised.”

PC Tom Dyson, Bradford district safer schools officer, said work was being done at schools to warn pupils of the dangers of misusing social media.

He said: “We often deliver presentations around the use of social media, such as Facebook, You Tube, Bebo and Twitter, which includes highlighting the consequences and implications of cyber-bullying. By arming pupils with the right knowledge and information, we can help them identify any issues and understand how they should go about reporting it.

“Likewise, we provide them with simple online tips such as applying security settings when using social network sites, avoiding sharing personal information and not sending pictures.”