School 'bribed bullies with Freddos' so they wouldn't pick on girl, says family

19 August 2023 , 15:19

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A 13-year-old girl from Leicester had to be pulled out of school by her family after she was bullied (stock image) (Image: Shared Content Unit)

A furious family have pulled their teenage daughter out of secondary school after claiming bullies were offered chocolate to not pick on her.

The 13-year-old Leicester schoolgirl was allegedly pushed down a flight of stars, smacked around the head and verbally abused by other pupils at Babington Academy.

Now, her family have hit out at staff for failing to protect the young girl who has now been left with "no confidence", Leicestershire Live reports.

One incident, in which the youngster was hit around the head, resulted in the girl being taken to hospital because she had such a server ear ache.

The girl's uncle claimed her bullies were given Freddo chocolate bars (PA)

The teenager's loved ones have detailed how she has been subject to the abuse for more than a year, which has led to multiple meetings between school leaders, the girl's parents and her uncle, to whom she confessed the torment. Despite these meetings, the family pulled the youngster, from St Matthews, Leicester, out of the school due to a lack of care, which has seen the victim turn into a quiet, withdrawn and shy girl.

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Her family said they regularly find her crying in her sleep due to the way she was treated at the school and everything has had a lasting effect on the pupil and family. The girl's uncle, who has not been named, said he has attended a number of meetings in which he has been given no "real answers" or reassurance, before claiming that pupils were awarded Freddo chocolates in a bid to stop them from picking on his niece, which he said "disgusted" him.

When he asked school leaders about this in a meeting he claimed they "tried to downplay it". Babington Academy said all reported incidents of bullying have been dealt with "in line with policy and procedure".

The 38-year-old fumed: "I don't understand - is this how they deal with bullying? I asked multiple times, why she was being bullied but nobody could answer that question. The safeguarding teacher couldn't tell me. That's the worrying thing. If she is doing something wrong I'm more than happy to have that conversation with her but they've said nothing like that."

Babington Academy in Leicester

When the pupil was being picked on by a group of other children in June this year, she went to a number of teachers who she said did not comfort or help her. Instead, she said she was passed on from one person to the next until, out of desperation, she called her grandparents, who live in Birmingham, for help.

Her uncle added "She went from one teacher who took her to another teacher who took her to someone else. And then because it was the end of lunchtime, the teacher told her she had one minute to talk. You've got a little girl here who's been crying all lunchtime and the teacher said she's got to go to her lesson. How is that ok? At one point, it was suggested that [my niece] was doing ok in her last school because she was well supported in the area - her dad was known in the community and things like that. But I said that's rubbish - it's a failure on their part."

The young victim outlined how she was moved from different groups at the school without her parent's knowledge and the affect this had. "When I started at the school I was excited to make new friends," she said. "But in the middle and end of year seven some people started picking on me - I don't know why. At lunchtime, I would just go to the library and sit on my own. I felt too scared. I don't want to go to school again. I don't feel safe around the school."

The Learning without Limits Academy Trust said: "It would not be appropriate for the school to share details of individual incidents or investigations; we can however confirm that all incidents of bullying that have been reported to the school have been investigated and dealt with in line with policy and procedure. Where appropriate the school always works with relevant agencies to address any concerns raised. The school have and will continue to work with the family to support them."

Asha Patel