A school has apologised to the son of a Romany gipsy after a teacher told a scruffy pupil that her looked “pikey.”

Dr Greg Taylor, head of Weston Road High School in Stafford, has apologised for the remark.

The female teacher made the remark in July after a pupil arrived late for an RE lesson with his tie undone.

“A pupil said to the boy ‘you look like a pikey’ and the teacher then said that he looked pikey, thinking it was just a term for looking untidy.

“She did not realise it was an offensive term. She thought it just meant scruffy,” Dr Taylor said.

Another pupil in the class, 15-year-old Connor Riley, of The Uplands, Great Haywood, reported what had been said to his stepfather Trevor Holland, who is a Romany gipsy, and he complained to the school.

Dr Taylor said the matter was raised during the summer holiday and the school had apologised in writing.

He said he had also apologised at a meeting with Mr Holland.

Dr Taylor said the school worked hard to build understanding between different ethnic groups.

Mr Holland, whose parents were pure Romany, said he believed the term “pikey” was a slur that implied gipsies were untidy.

He believes the teacher should still apologise to him face to face.