was held last night as they demanded to know why a plan to force out principal Mrs. Sighle Fitzgerald was initiated by the school's Board of Governors.

A petition demanding the retention or reinstatement of Mrs. Fitzgerald and her husband, John, for the 1992 - 1993 was presented to the Board members present at the meeting which was chaired by PTA vice-president Mr. Michael Robinson.

The gathering at Christ Church, Warwick church hall, which was not an official Parent Teachers Association meeting, was held after it was learned that the Academy's Board of Governors did not plan to renewing Mrs. Fitzgerald's contract for the coming school year.

The decision not to renew her contract was not made known to parents and teachers until last Thursday when, after praising Mrs. Fitzgerald, the Governors told them her contract would not be renewed.

Mrs. Fitzgerald is currently on contract to the Academy, a non-profit organisation designed to allow children between the ages of 2 to 12 to learn and develop at their own pace.

The Supreme Court granted an injunction on Tuesday preventing the Board from hiring a new principal following a submission by her lawyer, Mr. Jeffrey Elkinson.

And last night many outraged parents said Mrs. Fitzgerald was the reason why they chose the private school for their children and demanded to know why she could not continue.

Questions last night were raised as to what direction the school would be taking and on what authority Mrs. Fitzgerald was dismissed.

"None of the parents know what happened or why,'' a founder of the school and an ex-Board member said. "There are no bylaws governing the Board. We as parents have never seen them. There is concern we're going in a new direction without us knowing anything about it.

"This has nothing to do with the Montessori philosophy or principles. It's purely an administrative controversy. The school is working well. Teachers are teaching and the children are learning.'' In a letter to parents, the Board of Governors said: "As Mrs. Fitzgerald has taken legal action against the Montessori Education Trust and the Board of Governors, we have been advised not to go into the detailed reasons behind our decision in a public arena.

"...It is well documented that Mrs. Fitzgerald does not share the Board's vision, and as a result the Board foresaw considerable difficulties in having a successful working relationship with her in the future.

"Whilst regrettable, the fact remains that the working relationship between the Board and Mrs. Fitzgerald has been steadily deteriorating over the last several months with the result that the necessary mutual respect and confidence no longer exists.

"For this situation to continue is, in the Board's view, not in the best interests of the Academy.'' The letter, dated yesterday and signed by Board chairman Mr. John Doidge, went on to say that since September 10, 1991 the Board has been working under "the cloud of a recurring threat on the part of Mrs. Fitzgerald to resign''.

"Indeed within days of starting work, she voluntarily submitted her resignation in writing, effective December 21, 1991...she eventually withdrew that resignation, but on numerous occasions thereafter, more threats of a similar nature were made, the last of which was on May 21, 1992. The Board had had enough.'' The school is located at Tivoli, a National Trust property in Warwick.