A Southend secondary school has urged parents to check their youngsters' phones over "unpleasant" and "inappropriate" WhatsApp messages.

Southchurch High School says it has been made aware a "significant" number of its students are members of various WhatsApp groups.

In a letter to parents, the Southchurch Boulevard secondary school claims some of the content in these groups is "not always appropriate" and "unpleasant" for youngsters to receive.

Parents are now being urged by the school to check their children's phones and devices "periodically" to make sure the content of their conversations is appropriate.

The letter states: "Please be vigilant and monitor your child's activity on the internet and their phones.

"It is not an invasion of their privacy; you will be helping them to stay safe. 

"It is important that everyone in our school is aware of modern forms of communication and that we all work together to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students."

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This warning comes after Archie Battersbee's mother Hollie Dance revealed to The Guardian her son was sent both voice and text messages on WhatsApp being "trolled" before his death.

The 12-year-old was a pupil at Chase High School in Westcliff.

A coroner concluded earlier this month that Archie died accidentally in a “prank or experiment” which went wrong and had not intended to harm himself.

Ms Dance found Archie unconscious at home on April 7 last year and his life support was withdrawn after his parents failed in bids to overturn a High Court ruling that doctors could lawfully do so.