Parents of primary school pupils are involved in a Facebook spat over the quality of their children’s education.

In recent weeks parents of pupils attending Downsell Primary School, in Downsell Road, Leyton, have taken to their keyboards to praise or defend staff in two opposing online groups.

A group, Team Parents of Downsell, was started by parent Amira Yusuf, who is unhappy at the school’s performance.

Ms Yusuf claims she has been stopped from petitioning outside the school and asked to leave the premises.

In posts on the page, which has 300 followers, she insists many families previously afraid to speak out have contacted her with concerns.

She claims headteacher, Terrance Nairne, is not popular and he does not make enough effort to interact with parents.

She wrote: “Having a lot of parents come up to me recently to say they were afraid to speak out just in case they would be penalised by the school, as I am.

“The school has done its best to discredit my opinion but it has backfired.

“A lot of parents did not know who the headteacher was.”

However, another group, Downsell Primary School Parents, has been set up in support of staff.

Parent Asma Nawaz wrote: “Both of my children attend Downsell Primary and I am very pleased at their progress.

“They are doing very well and the teachers do a brilliant job.”

Anna Smith posted that teachers are “very helpful” and her child is happy there.

Some of the 300 members claim that they are being “harassed” into signing a petition to remove a senior member of school staff.

One parent, Harry Haroon, called the petition a “witch hunt”.

On Monday, Ofsted inspector Kevin Flanagan wrote to the school to say improvements had been made since the school was judged inadequate last year.