SIXTH-FORMERS at St Peter's Collegiate School, Wolverhampton, a Church of England academy, are campaigning for the reinstatement of their physics teacher, Richard West, who was sacked last week. Mr West had been suspended since November after an experiment that went wrong.

Mr West was firing a pellet gun through sheets of paper at cardboard boxes to demonstrate speed and deceleration, when a pellet deflected off a table, scratching the leg of a 17-year-old pupil.

After an investigation by the school and the local authority, he was dismissed last week after being found guilty of misconduct, it is understood. An online petition for his reinstatement has gathered 1400 names, and his unnamed "victim" is among those leading a campaign, "Bring Back Westy", on Facebook. Mr West, who has taught at St Peter's for 20 years, is appealing against the decision.

A spokesman for Lichfield diocese said that the matter was sub judice.