A headteacher spent more than six months under a cloud for saying a child had “special needs” before it was found she had no case to answer.

At least three bodies including Sussex Police investigated Janet Felkin, headteacher of Blatchington Mill School in Hove, but found there was “no cause for concern”.

Yesterday she told The Argus the complaints had been vexatious while the governing body gave her its full backing.

Ms Felkin’s ordeal will raise questions about the complexity of the complaints process and the time it takes.

She told The Argus she had spent a great deal of time and energy on fighting the complaints which could have been better spent on running the school.

Sussex Police, Brighton and Hove City Council and the Department for Education all spent time and taxpayers’ money investigating before they ruled there was no reason to take any further action.

Ms Felkin was scrutinised over at least a six-month period following a complaint and follow-up complaints from a parent-governor at the school.

The parent-governor complained that the “highly intelligent” student, who falls under the autistic spectrum, would be offended by the description.

In a letter to parents, the governor revealed the incident was registered as ‘disability hate’ by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Partnership Community Safety Team (PCST) because the school did not remove the minutes from its website quickly enough.

But none of the bodies which investigated the case considered it appropriate to take further action against Ms Felkin, who is set to retire at the end of the current school term.

The school’s chairman of governors Peter Sowrey said his headteacher and members of the governing body had “been the subject of numerous accusations and allegations over a four-year period from an individual parent at the school”.

Ms Felkin told The Argus yesterday the “ongoing vexatious accusations” from the complainant meant she had spent a “great deal of time and energy” on them.

She added: “It’s time I could have spent more usefully. I am trying to run the school to the best of my ability and wish to retire from headship, enjoying the highest reputation as has been my good fortune throughout my professional life.”

A spokesman from Brighton and Hove City Council said the alleged hate crime incidents had been considered by the school’s governors with advice from the council’s legal team, by Sussex Police and by the National College of Teaching and Leadership.

A council spokesman said: “None of these bodies considered it appropriate to take further action.

“The council has no cause for concern about the way the school is being run and has full confidence in its staff and governors. Issues relating to the suspension of governors are a matter for the school’s governing body, not the council.”

The council’s director of children’s services, Pinaki Ghoshal, stressed the school had an “excellent and deserved” reputation for its work to tackle bullying and hate crime, with LGBT pressure group Stonewall naming it as an example of best practice nationally.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “The allegation of disability hate crime was reviewed by police but no evidence of a hate crime was found.

‘SHE WAS RELENTLESS IN DRIVING UP STANDARDS’

Janet Felkin is a headteacher with an excellent track record.

Ofsted inspectors have described her as “relentless” in driving up standards and challenging underachievement at Blatchington Mill School.

The latest inspection saw the school rise from “requiring improvement” to “good with outstanding features”.

Yet what the inspectors’ report did not mention was that she was battling a number of potentially damning and, what have been found to be untrue, accusations.

Governors at the school have come out fighting in support of Ms Felkin, who has been at the school for eight years.

In a statement, the governors said they “totally dissociate” themselves from allegations made by the governor in question.

Their statement of support comes just months after Peter Sowrey, chairman of governors at the school, praised Janet Felkin’s contribution to the school since she took over from Neil Hunter in 2007.

“She has made an outstanding contribution in so many ways during her time here and has been instrumental in the ongoing development of this thriving school,” he said.

He added: “The governors have all been impressed by the fact that she has not slowed down at all since making her decision. Indeed, she seems to be working harder than ever.

“She will be a difficult act to follow and governors are now seeking to recruit someone who can carry on the fine work that she has done over the last eight years."

Mr Sowrey said numerous allegations and accusations had been made over a four year period from the parent in question – all of which had put “a totally unnecessary burden on Ms Felkin while she has been trying to run the school”.

The Argus asked Brighton and Hove City Council whether it was obliged to investigate all complaints upon receipt of them, or whether a decision to investigate was taken on a case-by-case basis.

However the council could not provide an answer by the time The Argus went to press last night.

An Ofsted inspection carried out just four months before Ms Felkin’s arrival in 2007 graded the school as ‘good with outstanding’ features.

Less than three years later, she faced her first inspection as head and the school dropped a grade to ‘requires improvement’.

But she showed leadership qualities when the government inspectors returned in January 2013 to class the school as ‘good with outstanding’ features again.

Ms Felkin herself was specifically praised by Ofsted.

The report read: “The headteacher has been relentless in driving up standards and challenging underachievement in the school.

“Leaders focus tirelessly on improving teaching and learning and provide focused professional development for all teaching staff.”

Blatchington Mill’s work in anti-LGBT bullying project saw it recognised as a champion in the eyes of prominent Brighton charity Stonewall.