The mother of a Lochside Academy pupil who was allegedly “vilely attacked” while moving between classes is keeping her daughter at home until the school takes action.
She claims the Aberdeen school has not lived up to its “zero-tolerance” bullying policy, and says her daughter has been cruelly targeted by a female pupil for nearly two years.
The girl’s mum has taken her daughter out of school and contacted the police alleging her daughter was attacked on the first day back after the Christmas holidays.
Police say they are looking into the situation, and inquiries are ongoing.
The mum now says her daughter will remain at home until either her attacker is removed from Lochside Academy, or the school can show what steps they’re putting in place to keep her from danger.
After what the mother says has been a campaign of physical and verbal abuse dating back to April 2022, she is now at the end of her tether as her daughter’s mental health suffers.
Girl had her ‘head banged off the wall and was kicked while on the ground’ in alleged Lochside Academy attack
While walking along the corridor on the first day back after the holidays, the mother said her daughter was beaten by her tormentor.
“It was a vile attack.
“She was beaten, kneed in the face, had her head banged off the wall, and was kicked while lying prone on the ground.
“She sent a WhatsApp message to me along with a photo of her face, which had cuts on it.
“I went into school to pick her up. By then she was sitting in her next class. Nobody had done anything about it.
“I demanded to speak to school management and was given the deputy head. Then I took my daughter out of school.
“The head teacher’s never available when you ask to speak to him. He’s not interested.
“The management at that school is just shocking.”
Mum wants alleged attacker removed from Lochside Academy and safety guarantees from school
She claims to have heard other “horror stories” about Lochside Academy from other parents and has lost faith in the school’s ability to keep her daughter safe.
According to the mum, the girl constantly follows her daughter around school, taunting and threatening her. On one occasion, says the mum, the bully beat her daughter up after school.
She said that for her daughter’s safety, she will remain at home for the foreseeable future, leaving her worried about the effect on her daughter’s education.
The youngster will still be able to sit her prelims on her own with an invigilator in school. But her mum thinks she will have difficulty passing them, such has been the effect on her of the bullying.
“I’m waiting to find out what steps are going to be put into place to keep my daughter safe.
“I want the pupil in question removed from the school. And for the school to prove to me that they can keep my daughter safe.
“They say they’ve got zero tolerance of bullying. If that’s the case, then why has this been allowed to go on for two years?”
‘We are not complacent’: Council seeks to reassure parents
A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said: “We cannot comment on individual allegations.
“However, the safety of all our children and young people is of paramount importance. We have a zero-tolerance anti-bullying policy for all of our schools.
“The school has dealt with the matter appropriately and within our guidelines. This will include a meeting with the parent being arranged by the school.
“We are not complacent, and we regularly review our processes and procedures and will continue to do so.
“Parents can rest assured that we will never compromise on the safety of their children while in our schools.”
And a Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “We received a report of an assault within a school in Aberdeen which happened on Monday, January 8. Inquiries are ongoing.”
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