Racist school bullying forces Rothwell family to move home

The mother of a boy at a school rated as inadequate said they were forced to move home by racist bullies.

She claimed teachers at Montsaye Academy in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, did nothing to stop the abuse.

The bullying included racist name-calling, hair-pulling and her son's trousers being pulled down.

The school said it was "shocked" by the "totally inexcusable" incidents and apologised unreservedly to any families affected.

Denise told BBC Radio Northampton her son endured a catalogue of abuse at the hands of fellow students.

She said: "We are mixed race, we've got curly hair, they always try to pull his hair because it is different.

"He got called racial slurs, 'monkey hair'. He got told that he needs to go back to his country. My son was born and raised here."

Denise said she reported it to the school: "The head teacher then told me they had investigated and they had concluded from this investigation - which they didn't share with me - that there was no racial connotation."

She added some of the bullying was physical, including one occasion when she had to take her son to hospital because he had been pushed backwards and had hit his head on concrete.

Her son said: "The teachers wouldn't do anything - they are more concerned about the colour of socks than a kid literally getting punched in the face."

Another incident involved Denise's son being goaded to fight another student.

Denise said: "He refused to fight with them, so my son's trousers were pulled, and exposed my son in the playground to everyone.

"My son reported this but the school never told me anything about this."

Eventually, she took the decision to move out of the county: "I had to do something and it was a bit radical, but I feel that I've made the right decision to move him away."

The school was rated as inadequate by Ofsted in an inspection report published last month.

Pathfinder, the academy trust that runs Montsaye, did not respond to the BBC's questions about its records of the bullying suffered by Denise's son or whether any individuals involved had been punished.

In a statement, it said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the accounts from former Montsaye students.

"Every child has the right to feel safe at school and clearly this is totally inexcusable.

"We are very sorry for the understandable distress that students and their parents experienced.

"We apologise unreservedly to them and indeed to any other family who went through anything similar."

Pathfinder added it was partnering with another trust, United Learning, which would provide additional advice and support.

If you or someone you know is being bullied, you can visit the BBC Action Line for advice on where to go for support.

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