Bryanston High School on Tuesday confirmed that one of its teachers had been suspended and arrested over allegations of sexual assault.

Axar.az reports citing Times live that, police said on Tuesday morning that the 33-year-old teacher, who cannot be named, was arrested on January 17 and appeared in court on the same day. The case was postponed to March 12 for further investigation.

According to reports, the teacher is accused of sexually assaulting pupils at the school between 2017 and last year. News24 reported that “at least three girls” had come forward.

However, Sandton SAPS spokesman Captain Granville Meyer said only one person had opened a formal complaint with police.

School governing body (SGB) chairman Aidan Hillebrand said the school was aware of the allegations.

“This matter is of grave concern to the school as the safety and wellbeing of learners are a priority. The Gauteng department of education and SAPS have been advised of the situation and an internal investigation was launched,” said Hillebrand.

"This matter is currently being investigated by SAPS and as such no further information may be provided to the general public or media. The school can however advise that the staff member has been suspended pending resolution of this matter.

"The investigation was conducted by an independent senior attorney, who has extensive experience in the relevant field. Their investigation has been concluded and the SGB chairperson and the headmaster of Bryanston High School have consulted extensively on this matter. Arising from this investigation, formal disciplinary proceedings against the staff member concerned have commenced,” said Hillebrand.

He added that counselling had been made available for the affected pupils.

“At present the current allegations remain unproven. All parties are being treated with empathy and compassion in keeping with their basic fundamental rights. Professional counselling has been made available to the learners concerned.

“The SGB does not tolerate any form of harassment or sexual misconduct. Full-time employees, part-time staff and learners are all expected to adhere to this standard.

"Any allegation of this nature when brought to the school’s attention is seen as extremely serious and are dealt with decisively,” said Hillebrand.