Mum's desperate rant about school bullies tormenting her daughter touches hearts of hundreds of parents in Milton Keynes

The mum described how the girl is picked on constantly by girls and older boys at her school because she is petite for her age.

Last week she was has ambushed twice by a group of 10 boys as she walked home from school. She's been tripped up, verbally abused, had her schoolbag and possessions kicked all over the floor and had her phone stolen twice.

Even when she walks a different route home to avoid them, the lads, who are two years ahead of her at the school, follow her, "shoving her and shouting at her, calling her names and surrounding her so she can't get away," claims the mum.

"I'm at the end of my tether....We've had some really concerning issues and nobody seems to be listening. I've spoken to the school every day this week and the boys even admitted, to an extent, what they had done.

"But there have been no consequences so far. I have reported it to the police and am awaiting an officer to come out and speak to us."

The mum added: "I don't know what else to do. I don't know how to help her or how to make all this stop. The thought of my little girl cowering on a floor while some bully throws her phone on the path or the thought of my baby stood surrounded by a group of kids all shouting and swearing and calling her names, unable to escape......it makes me feel sick."

She said her daughter was tiny for her age and this tends to be the first thing people pick on.

She has regular contact with the school councillor, the pastoral leader, and is under CAMHS care although at the moment those meetings seems sporadic and few and far between.

The girl has been bullied regularly since she started at secondary school, said her mum.

"The bullying usually starts about her size. Then it generally moves on to swearing, intimidation, threats and isolation from her peers," the worried mum added.

"She struggles to make friends because it's almost like the ringleaders of the group have blacklisted her and now anyone that makes friends with her ends up with a stigma attached."

The effect of the constant bullying is so bad that the girl is seeing a counsellor and has also been referred to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health service (CAMHS).

She has also suffered physical health problems, but has battled through lockdown and kept up with her schoolwork. A couple of years ago she raised £160 for charity single-handedly.

"She's an incredible little girl," her mum told the MK Citizen.

"She's dealt with a lot recently and I won't stand for her having to deal with something I can potentially put a stop to.

"I am happy to be that parent that speaks out."

The mum said she wrote about her daughter's plight on the popular Facebook page called 'Mum to Mum Milton Keynes and Beyond' because she wanted advice from other parents or carers about how to stop the bullying. She withheld her daughter's name and the name of the school for fear of repercussions.

Her plea has prompted hundreds of responses and messages of sympathy.

"I'm so sorry to hear your daughter is going through this. I nearly cried," said one num.

"I'd personally be going to the parents directly, they may have no idea their children are behaving this way. Schools are sometimes useless at getting these things sorted. I hope something changes for the better soon."

Another said: "This is awful. I do understand. I too was bullied and the effects of such stay with you for life. If you're not being listened to I would opt to keep her at home working remotely (which we know they can) until the school address this problem."

One parent even offered to meet the mum outside the school with a placard saying 'bullies go home' or 'bully my child = police record'.

Many mums admitted they would be tempted to tackle the bullies directly, while others advised a change of school.

Dozens wanted schools to be tougher on bullies and bullying incidents, whether they happen inside or outside of school premises or hours.

Anybody suffering from bullying can call the confidential helpline run by BullyingUK. The number is 0808 800 2222 and the helpline is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 9pm and at weekends between 10am to 3pm.

A Bullying UK spokesman said: "When your child is being bullied at school it can be very stressful and confusing on what steps to take to get the bullying to stop."

Their website has a help section for parents with advice, including template letters, on contacting the school and what next steps to take if school does not resolve the bullying.