A deputy headteacher sacked after accidentally sending an email critical of her boss to other staff - including the headteacher - has criticised the decision.

Carol McIntosh who worked at St Mark’s Primary in Mitcham unwittingly sent the message to school staff instead of her union representative.

Mrs McIntosh - who had been a teacher for 25 years - was sent home the next day and later lost her job.

She lost a final internal appeal against the decision to remove her earlier this month.

The school and Merton Council would not discuss the teacher’s dismissal, but said she been given a “fair hearing” during the appeals.

Mrs McIntosh was already being monitored for allegedly failing to hit her performance management targets when she sent the message, and the school would not say if this or the email was the reason for her dismissal.

The email was sent on January 11 after a union representative had suggested she list grievances against her boss, Marion Standing, in writing.

This month parents and children at the 220-pupil school in St Mark’s Road were told Mrs McIntosh, who had taught there for eight years, had left “for personal reasons”.

Mrs McIntosh later apologised for the message and claimed she still had the support of other members of staff.

She said: “I thought ‘Oh my God what have I done!’. It wasn’t for anybody else’s eyes.” She also disputed the school’s claim that she had been under-performing.

A council spokesperson said: "We have confidence that Mrs McIntosh was shown a fair hearing. We do not comment on the details of individual cases and have no further comment to make."