by Alex Claridge

aclaridge@thekmgroup.co.uk

Head teacher Clive Close is winning the support of parents for his kidnap stunt in the playground of Wincheap Primary School.

Last week, the Kentish Gazette exclusively revealed that Mr Close had donned a red wig and white jump suit as he 'abducted’ the school caretaker as part of a lesson to teach children how to write about events they have witnessed.

Parents have inundated news and social websites to voice their fury at the way the story had been covered by media outlets which chose to portray Mr Close’s actions in a negative light.

The Gazette led support for the head, arguing in its comment piece last Thursday that he had shown openness in explaining what the aim of the hoax was and how it benefits pupils’ education.

Jo Treharne is a parent-governor at the school with one child a former pupil at Wincheap and one still there. She insists Mr Close has earned himself huge praise in his three years there as head.

“We all think he’s fabulous and since he became head the school has smashed it targets for literacy,” she said.

“My 10-year-old daughter Maisie was in the lesson when the fake kidnap was staged and she could not believe how ridiculous some of the reporting about it had been.”

The kidnap is one a series of live events which the children watch and then write about.

In other years, a spaceship landed in the grounds and a murder in Tudor times was mocked up.

Mr Close has even used the media furore at the tail end of last week to show his pupils how newspapers can report event differently.

They compared the Gazette’s report with those in other papers.

Mr Close told the Gazette this week that he had had an exciting end to his week and spent most of Friday dealing with press inquiries.

“But I suppose that’s the way life is sometimes,” he said.

“Teachers have been able to use the different press reports in their lessons and write about them.”

What do you think? Emailkentishgazette@thekmgroup.co.ukor write to Gazette House, Estuary View Business Park, Whitstable, CT5 3SE.