The female teacher was suspended last Tuesday pending a full investigation. North Yorkshire County Council and the college would not comment on the nature of the allegations.

A spokeswoman for the council said: "North Yorkshire County Council can confirm that a teacher has been suspended from Whitby Community College and that an investigation is currently under way."

The Whitby Gazette understands the allegation centres around the teacher's relationship with a student. We have been contacted by a number of parents.

The spokeswoman would not confirm this when asked by the Whitby Gazette.

The news comes in the same week as the governors of Whitby Community College, Eskdale and Caedmon met with the county council's director of Children and Young People's Service, Cynthia Welbourn and assistant director for strategic services, Carolyn Bird, to discuss the future of education in the town.

The spokeswoman added: "The schools are exploring possibilities for some joint working to benefit the needs of young people in Whitby and the local authority is pleased to be able to support them in this initiative. It is a matter for the three schools to decide what their needs will be in the future in this respect."