A mum has told how she is home schooling her daughter after “constant bullying” and three “severe beatings” at a Fife school.
Her daughter, she says, has been attacked by fellow Glenrothes High School pupils in the classroom, in the playground and on the way home.
She spoke out after public outrage at a brutal classroom assault in another Fife school, Waid Academy in Anstruther, revealed by The Courier last week.
The Glenrothes S1 pupil was also slapped, spat on, shoved and taunted daily, her mum says.
The girl had to attend A&E for a shoulder injury from one of the attacks, says the mum, and she had to go to the doctor herself due to stress of seeing a video of one of the incidents which was shared on social media.
She said: “The school has openly told me they can’t guarantee her safety.
“I’m not willing to risk my daughter being collateral.”
Recorded incidents of bullying at Glenrothes High School
Glenrothes High School recorded the most bullying incidents last year – 67 – of all Fife Council’s 151 primary and secondary schools.
Since mid-December, the girl – whose name her mum has asked us to withhold – has stayed at home.
The mum has not yet deregistered her daughter – who has additional support needs – from school but has begun teaching her herself with the support of the school.
She said: “I work and I’ve had to cut my hours down, but my daughter is more important.”
The girl had already missed lots of school because of the impact on her mental health.
Despite initial worry that her education would suffer being out of school, she is now relieved to be learning at home away from her bullies.
She told us: “I’m a lot happier now. My mental health is a lot better.”
Fife Council’s head of education and children’s services Maria Lloyd said that welfare of pupils was top priority, so it can’t provide information on individual cases.
She said: “Bullying in any form is unacceptable and our schools all have systems in place to support children and help them to feel safe.
“However, our school communities know that every bullying incident is different, and every incident can be complex.
“The young people involved have to be our first consideration and we will always work to support them and protect their health and wellbeing.
The wellbeing of our young people will always be at the heart of our bid to resolve these issues.”
Maria Lloyd, Fife Council
“Our focus in these cases is to try to work together with young people and their families. Sometimes police will also be involved depending on the circumstances, but the wellbeing of our young people will always be at the heart of our bid to resolve these issues.
“Schools are part of wider communities and we are very aware of the impact bullying issues can have outside of school. Social media can be the reason that many of these issues escalate, and we work with our young people on how to use social media responsibly and understand the impact it can have when it’s not.
“I would like to reassure parents and carers across Fife that we will continue to work with all our school communities to make sure our young people have a positive experience at school and that any incidents of bullying will be dealt with quickly and appropriately.
“All of our head teachers in Fife are available to listen to any concerns and will always work with families to provide support.”
Conversation