A primary school found itself at the centre of a national media storm over claims that children were left traumatised by a project gone wrong.

Holy Trinity Primary School headteacher Jon Smith was inundated with calls from the Daily Mail, the Telegraph and Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, and a reporter from BBC Essex even turned up at the school gates....after two parents complained on social media that a giant 'mystery egg' had scared their children.

The three-foot high egg had been planted on the school playing field to encourage children to use their imagination to work out what was inside as part of a problem solving exercise.

However, one parent had tweeted: “@HTPSHalstead tell me I'm not the only parent whose child hasn't eaten lunch & has been in tears about the ‘discovery’? Prank too far?”

Another said: “@HTPSHalstead glad you said that my son does not want to go to school anymore and has been in tears since he come home #nothappy.”

Headteacher Jon Smith slammed the Daily Mail for sensationalising the story and failing to check the facts.

He said: “I have been out doing sports day for our five year olds. My job is to look after the children and with the greatest of respect to the Daily Mail I am not going to leave our school sports day to talk to them.”

“The Mail hadn’t spoken to me and got the context of what happened, the parents had every opportunity to complain and the fact is not one person came to me about this."

See this week's Gazette for the full story.