Prestwick academy bully girl’s mum takes legal action

May 14 2010 by Lisa Boyle, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

THE mother of a bullied schoolgirl is threatening legal action against Prestwick Academy.

The 15-year-old youngster was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after months of vicious bullying at the school.

Now her angry mum has consulted a lawyer in a bid to take the school to task over her daughter’s suffering.

And since the Ayrshire Post published the terrified youngster’s story, we’ve had scores of letters from readers who are going through the same thing.

But the council still insist there is no problem in South Ayrshire.

The fourth year Prestwick pupil, too frightened to be named, has been pulled out of the school – just weeks before her standard grade exams.

Her mum told the Post: “I don’t really know what I want to get out of seeing a lawyer. Someone should be held accountable for what happened to my daughter and admit that she was failed by people who should have protected her.”

Meanwhile, the ring leader of the bullying is shameless.

On social networking site Bebo, she displayed the link to the Ayrshire Post website showing our original story.

Two weeks later, the 16-year-old was bragging about getting drunk.

She and the other teenagers responsible for causing horrendous misery were only ever suspended for one day.

That was despite a catalogue of physical and verbal abuse against their victim.

The bullying culminated in a brutal attack which left her with concussion.

Her face smashed off a door in the school and she was punched and kicked in the head by three girls.

One woman wrote to the Post and said: “My granddaughter was a victim of bullying, I know the heartbreak and devastation caused by a bunch of cowards, it was absolutely criminal.

“How many more young lives are going to be ruined or worse before something definite is done to stop the bullies.

“It is time the punishment given to these pathetic losers is decided by the police, not the school.

“The bullies should be named, shamed and punished.”

Another reader explained: “My grandchild has been physically and verbally abused and now the sickening worry of cyber bullying has happened.

“We have heard that there is cyber bullying going on while they are on the computers and other parents are now trying to move their children out of the school.”

Despite this, Councillor Hywel Davies, portfolio holder for schools, is adamant bullying in South Ayrshire schools is not a problem.

He said: “There is very little bullying in our schools, largely because we deal with it so robustly.

“There are always pupils who will be bullies, and unfortunately there are those who will be bullied.

“The key is keeping control and dealing with it effectively. It’s difficult to be perfect.

“As soon as bullying is reported, the head teacher deals seriously with it.

“Investigations will be carried out straight away and pupils responsible will be suspended.”