PARENTS have rallied in support of head teacher Paul Woodward, who has banned children at his school from using Facebook.

The head of St White's School in Cinderford became the focus of a media scrum after saying that he and his staff had reported pupils who used the website so that their accounts were cancelled.

Guidelines for the website state that users must be 13 or older.

Mr Woodward denied saying that he threatened to report parents to social services for letting them use online networking sites, saying he had been misquoted in the national press.

"What we are doing is being done for the safety of the children," he said. "The issue has arisen from cyber bullying and the misuse of social networking sites.

"I am not against them in principle but there needs to be stringent guidelines.

"It's estimated that 78 per cent of children have suffered some form of bullying through technology, and 48 per cent of teachers have been affected. Facebook has a minimum age of 13 for a reason."

Parents picking up their children from the school were largely in support of the head.

Mum Elaine Trigg, 24, said: "What are 11 and 12-year-olds doing on Facebook anyway?

"I think parents who let their children on there don't really know what goes on online. I think what the school is doing is right."

Ellen Thomas, 40, said: "I don't like Facebook as it can have a disastrous effect on relationships.

"My daughter had her account hacked and the experience was very unpleasant.

"The head teacher has the kids' best interests at heart and I support what he's doing."

Other parents supported the principle but not the methods Mr Woodward is using.

"I don't think young children should be using Facebook but whether they are going about it the right way to get them off is another thing," said Julie Stephens, 38.

Lucy Harris, 32, said: "The way they have gone about this is very aggressive."

However, Donna Phelps, 38, said it was a better idea to educate parents about social networking sites and let them decide.

"It's down to the parents to make responsible decisions about their children's internet use," she said.

"It's the age of the internet and you can't ignore it.

"I think the school should explain their concerns to parents, not report them."