A CHAIRWOMAN of governors and former head of Ofsted has been branded “appalling” after making lewd comments on her publically accessible Facebook page.

Parents of students at Portslade Aldridge Community Academy (PACA) flagged up the Facebook profile of top governor Zenna Atkins, which is littered with sexual references and obscenities.

One post on New Year’s Eve joked about a sex act with a “handsome man”, while another showed her making a lewd gesture in a photograph.

The posts on her profile could previously be viewed by anyone but have been made private since the complaints.

Ms Atkins was ultimately responsible for improving children’s behaviour in UK’s schools during her Ofsted role. However, some parents were not impressed by her personal conduct.

A parent at the Chalky Road site, who wished to remain anonymous, wrote in a letter sent to The Argus: “As a parent at PACA I find it appalling that this lady has these things on her Facebook page for all to see, including students.

“I do not believe such a person should be in a position of authority. In addition, I believe this is a safeguarding issue and should be investigated for a breach of professional conduct.”

A mother of three, who asked not to be named, said: “It is horrible to see things like that on Facebook, especially when it is open for all to see.

“I don’t see why she feels the need to share things like that. It is absolute filth.”

Another parent said: “It’s not a good message to be sending out and this is the problem with PACA.

“If they have a job like that, it’s their duty not to be posting stuff out like that and it shows they don’t really care – it questions their professionalism.”

The former Ofsted chairwoman was behind a new inspection regime at the body and, from 2010 to 2013, was chief executive of profit-making education body Wey Education.

Ms Atkins left school with few qualifications herself but went on to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Portsmouth University and won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year award in 2000.

A spokesman for the Aldridge Foundation, which sponsors the school, defended Ms Atkins, saying: “Neither the academy, the foundation nor the local authority-nominated governor has received any complaint regarding this from a parent or anyone else.

“Zenna Atkins’ professional social network profile can be viewed publicly on LinkedIn.

“She has confirmed that her Facebook account is intended for a private network of close friends and family.

"Zenna Atkins has a wealth of experience working with schools and fully appreciates the importance of her role as chair of PACA.

"She and her fellow governors talk with parents on a regular basis and take their views very seriously.

“Ms Atkins or another member of the governing body would be delighted to meet with the writer of the letter to reassure them.”

Ms Atkins has previously caused controversy after she suggested every school should have a “naff” teacher.

PACA has suffered negative headlines in the past, with former principal James Fox leaving the school in December 2014 following an investigation which revealed published exam results were higher than they should have been.

Students were wrongly registered as guest students, bumping up its overall GCSE results in Department for Education tables.