Police child protection officers have been called in after an eight-year-old boy was left in his headmaster's office with his fingers jammed in wooden blocks.

The "wooden finger stool" was on loan to the school from the education authority's historical archive to display the cruel techniques employed by the Victorians to stop children fidgeting.

But the blocks were brought into use to detain the boy - who had snapped the point off a pencil.

His step-father claimed yesterday that he was detained in the head's office during morning, lunch and afternoon break - with his hands clamped behind his back like a prisoner.

Scott Meikle, 36, who doesn't want to name his step-son, marched into the education authority's offices demanding an explanation and then called in the police.

Durham Police acted immediately, taking the boy and his seven-year-old sister, who witnessed the incident, to interview suites.

They were questioned separately and gave identical accounts of the incident at Sherburn Hill Primary School, County Durham, on September 17.

Mr Meikle, of Haswell Plough, County Durham, said: "When the kids came home from school and told me what had happened I didn't believe it at first.

"It was only when our boy's younger sister told exactly the same story that I realised they were serious.

"The blocks had been brought into school to help with history projects but at the time they were used on our son he was in a maths lesson. "He accidentally broke the point off a pencil and went for another one, which was stuck together.

"It split in half and one of the other children told the class teacher what had happened.

"She called our son from his seat and put the wooden blocks on his fingers.

"Each block has four holes, one for each finger, and they are fastened together by a ribbon.

"His hands were put in the blocks and they were fastened behind his back in the classroom.

"He was then marched to the headmaster's office to speak to him about it.

"My boy was left in the office through morning break and released for lessons.

"He then had to go back after he had eaten his dinner and sat in the finger blocks in the office throughout the lunch break.

"He was released for afternoon lessons but had to go back to the head's office and into the finger blocks for afternoon break.

"He was very upset by it, not just because he couldn't go out to play but also because it was very uncomfortable.

"These things were taken into the school to teach the children about the bizarre punishments handed out in Victorian times.

"We look back on those days and pity the children who had to suffer such things.

"To actually use those methods on a child in 2003 and is absolutely diabolical and I want to see justice for my son."

After being told by his children about the incident Mr Meikle went to County Hall, Durham, to raise the matter with education officials. They began an investigation and Mr Meikle spoke to Durham Police who also took the matter up. Mr Meikle, originally from Bowness, Scotland, said: "They interviewed our son on camera in an interview suite while we watched in another room.

"Then they interviewed our daughter because she was in class at the time it happened.

"They told identical stories. To hear them going through it like that was so upsetting, it made me very angry.

"The school should be ashamed of what has happened here, it is quite unbelievable."

Mr Meikle went into school to confront the head, David Thurlwell, about what happened and demanded to see the finger stool.

The device consists of two rectangular wooden blocks, each about three inches tall.

They have four holes in each block, to accommodate all the fingers on each hand.

The blocks are then fastened with a ribbon that links the blocks of the finger stool together.

Mr Meikle said: "I had them in my hand - they looked like some kind of torture implement.

"I was so angry I tried to leave with them but the head threatened to call the police if I did."

The school's head, David Thurlwell, declined to comment yesterday.

He said: "I don't wish to be unhelpful but this matter has become a child protection issue and I am unable to comment on it."

A spokesman for Durham County Council said: "I can confirm that a child protection investigation is being carried out in response to complaints made against two members of staff at Sherburn Hill Primary School.

"That investigation is nearing completion at this stage. The wooden blocks mentioned in relation to the investigation are in fact a genuine artefact from the Education Authority's historical archive, which were used to stop Victorian schoolchildren "fidgeting" in class.

"They were on loan to Sherburn Hill Primary School and their use was being demonstrated to pupils to give them "living history" experience of what Victorian schoolchildren may have encountered, in much the same way as children visiting a museum may be invited to try other interesting and historic artefacts no longer in common use."

A spokesman for Durham police said: "A joint public protection investigation involving the police and social services specialists was launched on September 19 after allegations that two members of staff at the school used a wooden finger stool on an eight-year-old pupil.

"This advice was used by the Victorians to stop children fiddling in class and was part of a historical exhibition on lone to the school from the local education authority.

"A teacher is alleged to have used the exhibit on a child and taken him to the headmaster's office.

"The police and social services investigation is yet to be concluded but we are planning to consult the Crown Prosecution Service for advice. "We have yet to establish if any criminal offence has been committed."

Sherburn Hill Primary has 85 children aged 4 to 11 from the neighbouring villages of Sherburn Hill and Shadforth, near Durham City.