Primary school head quits after 'naughty cupboard' investigations Catherine Woodall claimed education chiefs ignored her pleas for help in dealing with unruly children Former head was suspended along with six members of staff at Revoe Community Primary Claims it was a 'time out' room to help staff deal with extreme behaviour Retired: Catherine Woodall has quit as headteacher of Revoe Community Primary School in Blackpool A primary school headteacher has quit months after she was suspended for sending pupils to a tiny box room dubbed 'the naughty cupboard'. Catherine Woodall, 62, stood down from her job at Revoe Community Primary School in Blackpool seven months after she and six colleagues were the subject of a police investigation. Staff were suspended and sent home following allegations children were ordered to sit in the small isolation room as punishment for being disruptive in class. A police inquiry was launched after one boy was sent to the room at the Lancashire school when he falsely claimed he had a knife and threatened to stab himself and others. Officers dropped the case after 10 days but seven months on, Blackpool council are still continuing their investigation into the incident. They said there were concerns over the 'professional judgement' of staff when isolating pupils for challenging behaviour - but confirmed there was no reason to suspect any child had come to any harm. Mrs Woodall - who was not in work on the day of the incident - today revealed she has retired from her role. She has claimed education chiefs previously ignored her pleas for help in dealing with unruly children. She said: 'Several emails were sent to the authority seeking support and advice but they were ignored. We always asked for help and ideas. I never received a response to my communications. The school improvement officer never indicated they had any concerns with safeguarding in the school. So this investigation came as a real shock. Blackpool council launched their investigation into the use of what parents called the 'naughty cupboard' following the February half-term, after receiving a tip-off. Defending the use of the 'time out room', Mrs Woodall told her local newspaper: 'It was considered to be a time out room. It was for extreme behaviour and for children to cool down on their own. Often a child wanted to have a sleep. When anybody gets so worked up, they get tired. We had a large room and a small one and children were given the choice of which they wanted to go in. That would be supervised. Investigation: Mrs Woodall along with six members of staff were suspended from Revoe Community Primary School, following allegations that a child was locked in a 'time out' room, for children with behavioral issues She said a lock had been fitted on the outside of one of the rooms to stop children from getting into it by themselves. The lock was only installed as a temporary measure because the door had been badly damaged just a few weeks prior to the incident. It was to stop children from getting into the room,' she added. I did not envisage a lock on a damaged door for health and safety reasons could negatively affect the welfare of children and result in the unpleasant repercussions of the incident. The door would have been replaced in the new financial year and the replacement would not have had a lock on it. Mrs Woodall resigned in August after 32 years in the profession, the last six at Revoe. She claims she had already handed in her notice before she was suspended. She added: 'You hope that nothing will happen when you're off and when it does and you're suspended as a result and ultimately potentially blamed and it's your name given out, it's disappointing to say the least. A lot of public money has been spent on an investigation - something the police sorted out in 10 days and is taking the authority more than six months to sort out. My biggest disappointment was I retired still under suspension, that was never lifted. 'I'm disappointed I didn't get to see the children again because the one thing my career was all about was the children. It's just sad to finish your career in that way. 'I don't hold anything against anybody personally but I would have liked some closure, with the authority to acknowledge that I'd retired. I had always intended to hand in my resignation when I returned to work following the February half term break, it is simply coincidence that my resignation was handed in around the time of the suspension. It is understood some of the suspended staff will be returning to their posts, pending the outcome of individual disciplinary hearings. The school is now in the process of recruiting a new headteacher. Blackpool Council said: 'We can confirm Catherine Woodall has resigned from her post of headteacher at Revoe Primary School with effect from August 31, 2013. As the disciplinary process is still ongoing with several members of staff it would be inappropriate to comment on the statements made by Mrs Woodall in relation to the incident in February. The March 2013 Ofsted inspection, that deemed the school to be in special measures, identified the leadership to be inadequate. An inspection that took place in July states the interim leadership team have already had "an immediate and positive impact" which should give parents and pupils confidence that the school is now improving and moving forward. Ros Homer, Blackpool branch secretary for the National Union of Teachers, said: 'I just find it very, very sad that it's all happened. They were doing a good job, it was a very challenging school and staff were very highly qualified. Hopefully when the investigation comes to an end the school can draw a line under it.