A virtual teachers' staff room was found to contain messages including apparent death threats against children.

One posting to the Staffroom forum on the website of the Times Educational Supplement (TES) fantasised about using "a large handgun ... to blow the head off of the first pupil who has failed to shut up/do homework/sit properly at their desk/speak politely to me".

Another said that children should have their hands nailed to the desk, and gaffer tape used around their mouths.

According to the BBC, the discussion was started by one poster who asked: "If you had complete freedom in the classroom, what would you do to make your class behave? The more extreme the better."

The messages were uncovered by a parent. When alerted, the TES removed the "distasteful" remarks and insisted that it would be warning some of the contributors about their comments.

The site's conditions of use include a section about not posting material which is, among other things, "unlawful, harmful, threatening or abusive".

A TES spokesman told the BBC that the teachers were doing what some might do in the pub after school, and were simply venting their frustrations by playing a silly fantasy game.