A secondary school in Caerphilly has begun investigating claims of bullying after a pupil received a death threat.
Staff at St Martin’s School, Caerphilly, have been criticised by the step-mother of a Year 11 pupil for their handling of the claims.
The death threat, written on a door in the boys’ toilets, was first reported to staff at the end of the last school year, but had not been removed by the start of the new term on Monday, September 5, despite a summer refurbishment at the school.
The graffiti was eventually removed on Tuesday September 6, after the boy’s parents phoned the school.
The boy’s step-mother, 35, said: “My son came home with a photo of the graffiti on May 19, but we were told there was no budget to paint over the threat, despite the fact that the school has spent thousands of pounds on painting this summer.
“He was sent to find the caretaker himself, who said he could sandblast it off, but even that took three weeks for them to even attempt to remove it.”
The boy, 15, claims to have been subjected to bullying at the school over the past four years.
His step-mother added: “He’s been beaten up and choked in the past. There has been no attempt by staff to find the bullies. My son thinks it’s normal to be bullied now, after so long.
“He’s got no confidence or trust in the teachers, and I don’t understand why it’s taken three months for them to remove the death threat.
“It was tough enough for him to concentrate on his GCSEs at the end of last year, but even with the graffiti removed, he says he still knows it’s there.
“The school thinks that the situation is over – because the message was removed that’s it. No one has asked me how my son is, no one has apologised.
“I just want my son to be treated normally, like any other child. It’s incredibly hard, I can’t keep seeing him like this.
“He loves to learn, he’s polite, but he says he finds the bullying normal. It’s horrendous. No one seems to care.”
St Martin’s School headteacher, Lee Jarvis, vowed to punish anyone caught bullying as the school opened up an investigation into the claims.
Mr Jarvis said: “I would like to assure pupils, parents and the wider school community that St Martins is a caring and supportive school.
“We strive to create a learning environment where everyone can feel safe, respected, valued and confident that bullying will not be tolerated.
“In this particular case we are carrying out a thorough investigation and we are also working closely with the pupil concerned to provide appropriate care and support.
“This type of behaviour will not be tolerated and there will be serious repercussions for those held responsible.”
The school dropped the ball a bit by not removing the script but otherwise, as I understand it, they are on it.