School investigated after giving a student razors for ‘controlled self harm’

A British school is under investigation after giving a student clean razor blades so she could harm herself in a "safe and controlled" environment.

Teachers at Unsted Park School in Surrey were told give the student the razors, escort her to the bathroom and wait outside while she cut herself.

They were told to check on the child every two minutes before dressing and cleaning her wounds.

The policy was designed by the school, which educates students with Asperger's syndrome and higher-functioning autism, and the student's parents.

The cutting policy was abandoned after six days because of complaints from the staff.

A spokeswoman for the Priory Group, the group that runs the school, told the Telegraph that both the local council and the school's regulator, Ofsted, investigated the policy but did not take any action.

"This was a short-term, local procedure introduced by the head teacher and school principal who genuinely believed it was in the best interests of the pupil," the spokeswoman told the Telegraph newspaper.

"However, they accept that the procedure should not have been implemented without further approvals having been obtained from key stakeholders and senior management prior to its introduction."

The school's principal Steve Dempsey and head teacher Laura Blair may be brought to a Teaching Agency hearing over allegations of unacceptable professional conduct.