Schools in Waterlooville: Police speak to Mill Hill Primary School children after 10-year-old racially abused

Now police have been called in to speak to the children allegedly involved.

Sharmaine Ray, 33, says her 10-year-old son has received ongoing racial insults and abuse online from his peers – and in the worst cases, he has been physically assaulted.

The mum of four, from Waterlooville, has been trying to help her son navigate the bullying when it started a few years ago but now he has began experiencing racist text messages and Sharmaine does not feel that his school is doing enough to resolve the situation.

Her son attends Mill Hill School. Sharmaine has made a formal complaint against the headmistress, gone to Ofsted to report what her son has been going through and has also reported the abuse to the police.

Her son has received messages from other students in his year calling him a ‘black rat’, ‘chocolate face’, ‘brown face’ and in person, she says the insults are worse. The abuse has taken its toll on her child – who The News is not naming – who comes home most evenings crying and upset.

She said: ‘I am at the end of my tether, no-one is doing anything and the stuff that is happening is disgusting.

‘He is 10, he is my little baby – it is awful, and the school is ignoring it, I have got lots of complaints going through, the school doesn’t seem to be interested.

‘I can’t trust them to look after my son in the daytime, why would I trust them to have him overnight – I just don’t even know what to do any more.’

To make things worse Sharmaine saved up in order to send him to an activity centre in Petersfield with the school for two nights, but since the bullying has become more racially aggravated, she has had a refund and is not sending him because the children involved in the bullying are still able to attend.

She said: ‘They shouldn’t be allowed to go on the school trip, they should be punished.

‘They have called him names and I told him to fight back and it is only in the past year that he has started fighting back. If someone hits you, hit them back but my kids aren’t like that, they won’t fight back.

‘It is stressful for everybody, he is upset all of the time and I’m angry but when he goes to bed I cry, I don’t want my kids to go through that. Their dad has had racial abuse his whole life and he is angry because he doesn’t want his children to go through the same thing.

‘I have to force him to go to school so I don’t get into trouble, but why should I when he is being called these horrible names and being punched and kicked.

‘He had his pencil case stolen on Friday, it doesn’t stop for him. It is every day, he comes out and on the way home, he’s crying, it’s terrible.’

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Sharmaine, 33, said that he talks to her about what is going on but that there are children who do not and instead they end up harming themselves and that something has to be done to help children going through the same things as her son.

She added: ‘Luckily, he talks to us and we have a supportive family but what about those that don’t? He is such a happy boy but he just looks so drained and tired from it all.’

She has reported these online attacks to the police on two occasions, the first was before her son turned 10 and the police were unable to do anything, but she got in touch with them again following the more recent messages, name calling and bullying.

A spokesperson for the police said: ‘On April 1 we received a report of racially aggravated harassment towards a 10-year-old boy from Waterlooville that had been taking place for some time online. Officers have met the children involved and words of advice have been given. The school they attend has separately addressed the issue and taken relevant safeguarding actions.’

Sharmaine said that it is only in the past couple of weeks that the school has started to deal with the situation and they have separated her son from the children bullying him, but that she has had to complain continuously to get anything sorted.

She said: ‘They are 10 years old, this can’t keep happening – my son doesn’t deserve this. I feel like everyone brushes us off, they aren’t doing anything and to be honest, I don’t think they know how to deal with this. Racism is something they are learning at home.’

A spokesperson for Mill Hill Primary School said: ‘We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming school community where pupils and staff alike feel a shared sense of belonging. All forms of bullying, including racism, are completely unacceptable and never tolerated. While it would not be appropriate to comment on individual children, any allegations of such behaviour would always be treated extremely seriously, fully investigated and the appropriate course of action taken as quickly as possible.

‘Those involved would be supported as required throughout. Should any parent have concerns about their child, we have clear systems in place to ensure we respond swiftly and effectively, and would always urge families to contact the school directly so we can work to address matters together.’