‘She comes home crying most nights saying there’s no point in living’ - Girl’s ‘ginger’ jibes bullying nightmare

The mum of St Mary’s Catholic Academy pupil Stacey Wright, 12, said she was picked on so much she dyed it brown in the hope of putting an end to the name-calling.

But even that did not stop the bullies, and her mum Emma says she went so far as to say she wanted to end her own life.

St Mary’s headteacher Simon Eccles said that the school maintained a ‘very robust anti-bullying policy’ and that bullying behaviour would not be tolerated.

Emma, 40, said: “She’s very lonely. She doesn’t go out anywhere. She comes home crying most nights saying there’s no point in living. She used to be a very outspoken person and now she’s like a rabbit in the headlights. She was so bright, and now she’s struggling. It’s heartbreaking to see your child like that.”

Stacey, a Year Seven pupil who used to attend St Kentigan’s, said the bullying started during her very first week at St Mary’s in September.

Both her mum and the school said the name-calling came from a number of different pupils, and not one specific individual or group.

Emma said the school had offered to keep Stacey in a classroom away from other pupils during break times and lunch times so she could avoid the bullies, but said this was unfair on her daughter.

Stacey has now been referred to the school’s counselling service. Emma said: “I’ve said I would take her out of school and they’ve said I can’t do that because I would be isolating her. Every school from Lytham to Fleetwood is full and they have got waiting lists on top of that.

“I’ve been on the phone with the school every week. I feel as though they have totally let her down as a student.”

Headteacher Mr Eccles said: “All schools experience issues with unpleasant behaviour from time to time, what sets them apart is how they deal with it. This is very upsetting for any student, their family and for their school.

“For this reason St Mary’s has a very robust Anti Bullying Policy and will not tolerate behaviour of this type. We deal with all such issues through our policy and aim to resolve them effectively and efficiently making sure the victim is fully supported, this case is no exception.”