A pupil at an Etwall school has been forced to move just weeks into the new academic year after bullies allegedly "tormented" him.
Harvey James-Green,11, started at John Port school on September 5 but has already moved on after abuse started straight away, it has been claimed.
The youngster’s mum Victoria claims her son has been subjected to a torrent of verbal and physical bullying in which he was choked with his tie, subjected to a number of physical assaults and was nearly thrown off a moving school bus.
The Hatton schoolboy will be joining Windsor Park School, in Uttoxeter, to get away from the torment which has crushed his confidence and affected his eating, she says.
The 31-year-old said: "We recently moved to Derby from Preston and Harvey started at John Port School on September 5. The abuse started straight away and included physical assaults very early on. He was choked with his school tie, suffocated with his blazer, pulled around by his backpack and was almost thrown off a school bus as the doors closed.
"Most of the abuse took place on the school bus. I complained to the school and they let him get on a different bus but the bullying continued. The bullies made his life hell and the school did very little about it."
She added: "He is very shaken up by the whole thing and has lost his confidence completely. He is not eating much, he is really skinny and he can’t sleep either – this has affected his whole life. I think victims of bullying need more support at school and there has to be serious consequences for the bullies.
"The school did contact their parents but it simply carried on. I tried to speak to the head teacher on numerous occasions but she was always unavailable.
"I am glad I have managed to get him into a new school so quickly even if it is a long commute every day, because he can’t carry on there."
John Port head teacher Karen Squire said the school takes bullying "very seriously". She said: "John Port School responded immediately to Ms Green’s concerns. Students and their parents were involved with the discussions following the incidents, and sanctions followed.
"John Port School contacted the bus companies immediately and a solution to the transport issue was being sought. Bullying at John Port School is taken very seriously as it is in any school and we will always work towards resolving any issues quickly and effectively."
