A headteacher has apologised to parents after their kids were issued with English homework containing graphic references.
The 11-year-olds were mistakenly asked to read a section of a book describing a well known case in which a wife chopped her husband’s penis off.
One parent described the homework assignment, given to Year 7 pupils at Mortimer Community College in South Shields as “disgusting”, claiming the passage was packed with “filthy innuendos”.
The school said the homework had been given out by mistake and letters of apology had been posted out to parents explaining the error.
Claire Mullane, headteacher at the school, told the Evening Chronicle : “This was a mistake.
“A member of staff had asked the students to read the extract but had not read it herself first.
“She was supposed to have picked out a specific paragraph for the pupils to read rather than the whole extract.
“We in no way condone that sort of approach, however it was an error.”
The extract, part of 11 pages taken from Bill Bryson’s book, Tales from a Small Island, made reference to American wife Lorena Bobbitt cutting off “her husband’s **** and flinging it out the window”.
Specific extracts by Mr Bryson are understood to be used by schools as part of English lessons.
Mrs Mullane added: “Once we were aware of what had happened, we acted on it immediately and spoke to the class in question and apologised to them.
“Myself and the member of staff have now written to parents of the pupils concerned and they should have received those letters at the weekend.”
One mum, whose 11-year-old child was given the homework, said: “I was disgusted that she came home with this.
“I appreciate the school apologised but, in my eyes, the damage is done because the kids have read it now.
“The headteacher said the extract should not have been included in the 11 pages given out. The whole thing was full of filthy innuendos.
“How the Government can say this is acceptable to use in school is beyond me.
“What other people do in their homes with their children is entirely up to them, but my child does not hear anything like this at home.
“I’m mortified she has been spoon fed this from a teacher.”
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Source: Mirror.co.uk