PROTESTERS have gathered outside a school in Batley for a second day after a teacher reportedly showed a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed to pupils.

The image was used during a lesson at Batley Grammar School, and triggered more than 100 people, including some students, to protest outside the school on Thursday.

The religious studies teacher was suspended after reportedly showing a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed to pupils while the school and teacher said it apologised “unequivocally” for the incident.

Today another crowd has gathered outside the gates of Batley Grammar School with police also at the scene.

It comes as Baroness Warsi, former chairwoman of the Conservative party, told the Today programme that the focus needs to be on "child safeguarding".

The peer said she had spoken to pupils and parents over the past 24 hours, and “it’s obvious that many pupils were left distressed because of what happened”.

Baroness Warsi said: “I think this is about children, it’s about child safeguarding and making sure the school look again, as should every school, to ensure that every pupil in their school is being taught in a way which creates a positive, unifying learning environment.

“Unfortunately, this matter has been hijacked by extremists on both sides to kind of create this culture war. What we’re forgetting in all of this is the most important party in all of this, which is the kids and their learning.”

Government minister Robert Jenrick said the protests were “not right”, adding that suggestions the suspended teacher was in hiding were “very disturbing”.

He was questioned on the Government's response to the protests amid accusations that the Department of Education's response was "amplifying divisions".

He told Sky News: “I don’t know precisely what a teacher did in the classroom.

“We know that the school is looking into the matter and investigating, and that is absolutely right – the Department for Education (DfE) is liaising with the school and the council.

“What I can say is there has to be an appropriate balance – we have to ensure there is free speech, that teachers can teach uninhabited but that has to be done in a respectful and tolerant way and that’s a balance to be struck by teaching professionals and the schools concerned.

“What I would also add is that I was disturbed to see scenes of people protesting outside the school – that is not right.

“We shouldn’t have teachers, members of staff of schools feeling intimidated, and the reports that a teacher may even be in hiding is very disturbing. That is not a road we want to go down in this country, so I would strongly urge people who are concerned about this issue not to do that.”