A school’s trust chairman who suspended two headteachers and a director has been removed from her position.

Andry Efthymiou, chair of the Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust, was voted unanimously off of the board of trustees this week.

Ms Efthymiou suspended Cuckoo Hall headteacher Sharon Ahmet, executive headteacher Patricia Sowter and her husband and trust director Phil Sowter earlier this month for gross misconduct.

The school, in Cuckoo Hall Lane, Edmonton, is now under investigation from the Department of Education following the suspensions.

In a letter to parents today, interim Chairman Marino Charalambous said: "The Board has unanimously agreed that Ms Andry Efthymiou will no longer be involved with CHAT or any of the CHAT schools until the current investigations have been concluded.

The primary academy was the first of its kind in this country and went on to open Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy in 2011 and Kingfisher Academy in 2012 in the borough.

Its sole secondary academy, Heron Hall, currently operates on the Cuckoo Hall site in Edmonton with 180 pupils, but is aiming to become an eight-form academy in upgraded buildings in Ponders End by September next year.

It is also understood that Nick Efthymiou, the trust’s estate services manager, was also suspended earlier this month and is being investigated.

A trust spokesman said: "The board is working hard to ensure that CHAT schools continue to operate as normal. The board will continue to assist the investigation until it is completed in the New Year. More information will follow in due course."

Floreat Education, a group that runs primary schools in London and of which Ms Sowter was a board member, defended the executive headteacher.

The directors of Floreat Education released a statement, which read: “Patricia Sowter has decided to stand down from the Board of Floreat Education while she is subject to allegations that will be independently investigated in respect of Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust (CHAT). Mrs Sowter has stated that she is innocent of those allegations made against her and looks forward to her name being cleared.

“The Board of Floreat has reluctantly agreed to Mrs Sowter’s request and agreed with her that the ‘strategic adviser’ relationship between CHAT and Floreat should be suspended pending the conclusion of the investigation.”