Sacked : Peter Gale was dismissed by Nonsuch High School For Girls in Surrey two weeks ago . The male headmaster of a leading all-girls ’ grammar school has been sacked after sending a series of private emails to a teenage pupil , The Mail on Sunday can reveal . Peter Gale , 47 , was dismissed by Nonsuch High School For Girls in Surrey for ‘ unprofessional and inappropriate conduct ’ two weeks ago . At the time of the announcement , the school ’ s governors failed to release any more details . However , an investigation by this newspaper has discovered that Mr Gale – who became the academy ’ s first male head when he was appointed to the post 18 months ago – sent informal emails over a period of months to the sixth-form pupil , including messages written at night and during the holidays . School rules strictly forbid teachers sending messages to pupils from private email accounts . The Cheam academy has described Mr Gale ’ s actions a ‘ serious breach of safeguarding procedures ’ . Despite this , the National Union of Teachers appeared to play down the seriousness of his conduct . In a statement to The Mail on Sunday , the union implied Mr Gale ’ s actions only amounted to a breach of the school ’ s information and communications technology rules . The governors – who began their investigation following a tip-off – are said to have been ‘ stunned ’ by the NUT statement . The specialist science college and languages school , which counts singer Katie Melua and Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell among its alumni , passed judgment on Mr Gale at an internal disciplinary hearing earlier this month , ruling he had broken rules in place to prevent personal communications between staff and pupils . It is understood this was in breach of guidance telling teachers never to use a private email account to send messages to pupils , partly for their own protection . The school has refused to reveal the precise content of the emails , but it is understood they were informal and read like text messages . It is believed there were also concerns about the way Mr Gale , the former deputy headmaster of all-girl Rosebery School in nearby Epsom , had treated the student differently from other pupils . Mr Gale , who is understood to be unmarried and who lives in Godalming , Surrey , declined to comment directly to The Mail on Sunday . Messages : An investigation by the Mail on Sunday has revealed it was a series of 'informal ' emails to a sixth form pupil which led to his dismissal from the specialist science college ( pictured ) Alumni : Former pupils include Kate Melua ( pictured ) and Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell . But a statement sent to this newspaper , released by the NUT ’ s London Regional Secretary Bob Stapley , said : ‘ The alleged misconduct related to communication with a student which breached the school ’ s policy on the accepted use of ICT [ information and communications technology ] . ‘ Mr Gale accepted he had breached the school ’ s policy and that as headmaster he had responsibility for ensuring he and other staff acted in accordance with the policy . Defence : The NUT have said : 'Mr Gale vehemently denies he behaved inappropriately towards any student and no such finding was made ' . Pictured : The school 's motto . ‘ Mr Gale vehemently denies he behaved inappropriately towards any student and no such finding was made . Mr Gale appreciates that this placed governors in a difficult situation given that rumours could have a negative effect upon the reputation of the school. ’ The statement added he was considering whether to appeal against ‘ the severity of the sanction imposed by the Disciplinary Panel ’ . Chairman of governors , Tony Hyams-Parish , said in a letter to parents this month : ‘ The governing body has terminated Peter Gale ’ s employment at Nonsuch High School for Girls due to serious breaches in applying safeguarding procedures and instances of unprofessional and inappropriate conduct . ‘ This was not an easy decision , especially because we recognise that since Peter ’ s appointment there have been many positive changes within the school led by Peter and the senior leadership team . ‘ However , the governing body and staff take their safeguarding responsibilities towards students very seriously and , importantly , any breaches of safeguarding procedures , and have therefore acted promptly to address these matters. ’ Carol Dickie , the school ’ s bursar , said the education of the 1,200 pupils would be unaffected by the sacking , despite it coming just weeks before GCSE and A-level exams .
Mr Gale dismissed from Nonsuch High School For Girls a fortnight ago . The reason was given as ‘ unprofessional and inappropriate conduct ’ Mail on Sunday investigation discovers it was due to emails sent to pupil . But Peter Gale denies he behaved inappropriately towards any student .