MYSTERY surrounds the circumstances in which a headteacher has left a Suffolk middle school.

Fiona Bromley, former headteacher at Howard Middle School, in Bury St Edmunds, formally left the school at the end of January.

But Suffolk County Council refuses to divulge the reason for her departure.

Linda Howe, strategic manager for learning and improvement at the county council, said she could not discuss the reason Mrs Bromley left.

“I really can’t go into any detail about this individual,” Mrs Howe said.

“Everyone within the process is bound by confidentiality. There is no public statement and there won’t be about the details of that particular person.”

Colin Sinclair has been in post as acting headteacher at the school since the start of the academic year in September.

But parents at the school were only informed of Mrs Bromley’s departure in a letter from the school governors at the end of January.

Mrs Howe said: “We have told parents when she left and what arrangements for leadership there were at the school. That’s all I’m prepared to say at the moment.”

Although Mrs Bromley formally left the school in January, Mrs Howe could not say when the former head had stopped teaching at the school.

Mrs Howe also refused to say if Mrs Bromley had resigned from her role but confirmed she no longer worked for the county council.

“The previous head left at the end of January,” she said. “There has been an acting head in position.”

Sue George, chairman of the school’s board of governors, said she could not discuss the circumstances surrounding Mrs Bromley’s departure.

She added parents had been advised of the situation at the end of January or beginning of February.

“Our acting headteacher has been doing a splendid job,” she said.

“Everybody is very happy with the way the school is being run. Nobody has rung me up or said anything so I take that to mean everybody is very happy with the children’s education.”

A spokesman for the county council said the school governors had started the process for appointing a new headteacher to start in September.

“I can confirm that the previous headteacher has left and no longer works at Howard Middle School,” he said.

No-one at Howard Middle School was available for comment yesterday.