Alert as girl walks out of school

Taylor, eight, leaves premises after bullying incident

An eight- year- old girl walked out of her troubled school in tears after claiming she was being bullied in the playground.

Fed- up Taylor O’Neil sparked a lunchtime alert after leaving the school without permission.

She has complained of being hit by other pupils.

It happened last Tuesday at Braehead Primary, Ayr.

She arrived at her home nearby, but her mum Carol- Anne Wade was out. Worried Taylor then arrived at her papa’s house just round the corner.

Carol- Anne, 32, said: “I did not get a call from the school for 90 minutes informing me Taylor was not there.

“That more than Taylor being bullied made me want to speak out. My dad had already let me know Taylor was safe, so that was fine.

“But I think communication is a huge issue at the school and other parents have told me they are worried about kids just wandering off.

“I think there is a serious problem when this happens and the authorities need to investigate what is going on.

“I have been very stressed over it and I hope by speaking out in the Ayrshire Post and on the radio it can raise awareness of the issue.

“I have warned her if she needs help again she must alert a teacher and not wander off.”

Last year, the school was slammed in an official inspection for lack of leadership and being mired in deep- rooted problems.

Carol- Anne said her fears were increased because Taylor has poor road sense and often “crosses roads without looking.”

She added: “I am not looking for them to lock the school gate, but to be more aware of who is going in and out of it during class- time.”

Primary four pupil Taylor returned to school the following day.

She said: “People were hitting me and I got hit in the face by a ball. I just wanted to go home.”

Her grandfather Richard Wade said: “She was crying and told me she had walked out of school because she had been getting bullied. It seems to be an ongoing thing and kids can be very cruel.”

The council’s education department has been informed.

A council spokesman they were aware of the incident and are working with the Taylor and her family to make sure the incident does not happen again.

“We are also reminding all children of the dangers of leaving school unaccompanied,” he added.