The head teacher of a Kent school at the centre of a row over a slaughtered lamb has resigned.

Lydd primary school’s Andrea Charman is stepping down at the end of this week for “personal reasons”.

It is believed she succumbed to pressure after online campaigns attacked her for pursuing the slaughter of Marcus the sheep back in September.

The anger over the decision to slaughter Marcus, who lived on the school farm, came from animal supporters around the world who logged onto Facebook and other websites to register their upset.

One website features almost 2,500 names.

Mrs Charman insisted that Marcus’ fate was supported by the school council and that it had always been the intention to cull the lamb as part of the children’s education over farming methods.

The above online petition features comments from across the UK and the US, as well as Denmark, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and France.

Its originator wrote: “We are not just protesting the mindless slaughter of Marcus.

“We are protesting the conduct and governance of Andrea Charman, the headmistress, who wishes to run her school like a farm and business. A school is a place of education, not a place of slaughter.”

One Facebook campaign, Save Marcus the Sheep, had 567 members.
The school will be led by an advisory head teacher, Penny Haynes, from February 22.