Bullying - Story 7

Further to the message circulated to our group re. home education following bullying at schools.

We decided to home educate in March this year following a spate of bullying.

My 12 year old daughter was ridiculed and threatened because she wanted to learn!

Apart from the verbal abuse she had her homework ripped up ... she was forcibly held by the throat while her bag was ransacked ... she was constantly slapped round her head ... she had a cigarette lighter flicked in front of her face and hair.

When she 'dared' to ask for help and assistance from the teaching staff she was ignored.

Following our intervention, things got even worse as the teaching staff then made constant references to our 'fussing' during my daughter's classes, so the abuse escalated.

Maybe these incidents are only minor to the School but to my child and our family they were disastrous. My daughter was coming home upset and then having nightmares and we did not feel we could allow the situation to continue.

Since joining the home educating community we haven't looked back ... The crime is that all my daughter wanted was a good education and to further her music.

At Christmas, because of peer pressure, she had no interest in school and had no intention of further education but now she is talking of music college, and even university!

We are the lucky ones, we have not "opted out" of education but "opted in" ... we have control over our child's education and safety now and my daughter is happy and confident again.

Thanks to a new pilot scheme in B, she is already on a GCSE programme which she would not have started at any middle school.

We hope this information is of some assistance but, if you need anything else, please ask!