AN investigation has been launched after a Suffolk upper school teacher was arrested on suspicion of “grooming” an underage girl.A 43-year-old teacher from Sudbury Upper School was arrested by police, believed to be acting on concerns from staff.

AN investigation has been launched after a Suffolk upper school teacher was arrested on suspicion of “grooming” an underage girl.

A 43-year-old teacher from Sudbury Upper School was arrested by police, believed to be acting on concerns from staff.

Education bosses expressed their concerns and said they were treating the allegations against the teacher, who has been suspended from duty, “extremely seriously”.

A Suffolk police spokesman said officers questioned the teacher, who has not been named, on “suspicion of grooming a girl under 16 years old”.

The teacher, who was arrested on June 22, has been released on police bail and ordered to return to Sudbury Police Station on July 24.

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council, the education authority, said: “Clearly the school and the council take any allegation of this nature extremely seriously.

“The matter was referred to Suffolk police as soon as concerns were brought to our attention and we and the school are assisting the police with their investigation.

“I can confirm that the individual concerned is not working in school at this time. There are no more details I can give at present as this is a police matter.”

The latest revelation comes just two months after disgraced former Great Cornard Upper School teacher Steve Morris admitted three counts of indecently assaulting a pupil at a school in the south of England.

The former head of religious studies and head of year, who had moved to Aldershot, was sentenced to 15 months in prison in May.

After the case, council chiefs who had employed Morris, said they “deplored” the actions of the teacher.