The local council responsible for the education of two boys who made death threats to a teacher has criticised the education secretary's intervention in the row.

Surrey County Council said Estelle Morris had "acted beyond her powers", making it "almost impossible" to deal with the situation.

Teachers from Glyn Technology School in Epsom have voted to refuse to teach or supervise the pupils responsible.

We need to take the heat out of the situation so that the issues can be discussed in a calm and measured way

Kay Hammond, Surrey education spokeswoman

Both boys concerned, one 15 and one 16, have returned to the school, but are being taught away from normal classes by a supply teacher.

They were excluded from lessons in June, but later reinstated by an appeal board, after making more than 40 threatening phone calls to PE teacher Steve Taverner.

The school wants them to be taught elsewhere, but the boys' parents say they must be allowed to return.

The education authority was asked by Ms Morris to have the boys taught elsewhere.

Although the education secretary was said to be "furious" about the case her intervention carries no legal weight.

Staff support

On Friday, Surrey County Council decided to write to Ms Morris to express its concern over her intervention

Councillor Kay Hammond, who is responsible for education, said: "The intervention by Estelle Morris is not helpful because we were trying as a matter of urgency to find a way forward in a very difficult situation.

Sue Aldred says her son is still a member of the school

"We believe that what the boys did was totally unacceptable and we understand entirely why the school wished to exclude them.

"Unfortunately all the attention, exacerbated by Estelle Morris acting beyond her powers, has made Surrey's job almost impossible at present."

Stress leave

The council said it was hosting confidential discussions between the parents and the school to find a way forward "as a matter of urgency" and said the boys were being offered lessons elsewhere next week.

One of the mothers, Sue Aldred, did not deny her son had made the calls but said he had "served his time" and should be back in his classes.

But Mr Taverner, who is still off sick from work with stress, said he had been appalled at the boys' reinstatement.

"I'm shattered by the decision that is stopping me from going back to school and I'm under a lot of stress over what has happened," he said.

Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), one of three unions at Glyn Technology School, have voted 15 to one in favour of refusing to teach or supervise the boys.

The other unions with members at the school are not expected to announce the results of their ballots until next week.

Teachers must be protected otherwise the education of all the other pupils suffers Simon, UK

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The boys apparently turned on Mr Taverner after he disciplined them for throwing stones at windows.

Among the threats they used were: "You have five days to live" and "You are going to get stabbed in the back of the head".

Mr Taverner told the BBC that he received the threatening phone calls between 18 April and 22 May.

He said the messages were personally and sexually abusive and of a malicious nature, and that initially he did not know who left them as the voices had been disguised.

A third boy who was also involved had been suspended from school for 15 days.

The Communities Empowerment Network, which represented the boys' families at the appeal panel hearing, are discussing with solicitors whether to apply to the High Court next week to seek judicial review of Ms Morris's decision.