Pupils chained and whipped black boy in mock slave auction

A SCHOOL has refused to expel a group of white pupils who chained a black child to a lamp post and whipped him in a reported mock slave auction.

The youngster was hit with sticks by seven teenagers who called him racist names harking back to the slave trade.

It is understood those involved were in the same friendship group and the incident happened at lunchtime on school grounds.

Three of the alleged perpetrators were originally expelled by the head teacher – but were allowed to return when the board of governors overturned that decision. The governors decided the expelled trio should be excluded – along with the other four boys – for about two weeks.

The secondary school, which cannot be named for legal reasons, said the incident was ‘unacceptable’ but that those involved were ‘established friends’.

The school in Bath, Somerset, said it ‘thoroughly investigated’ the incident when it became aware of it in line with ‘statutory procedures’. The incident happened in January but families were informed only this week by the school after whistleblowers approached local reporters.

The family of the victim refused to comment, but other families at the school spoke of their outrage.

One father told the Bath Chronicle: ‘It just sends the wrong message out to the children. I’ve got a mixed-race son. He’s thinking, “they’re going to stick up for the white kids, but we get in trouble if we do something wrong”.’

His partner agreed, saying she was still ‘reeling’ from shock at the apparent attitude of the school towards racism and the impact of that on the already traumatised victim.

‘I want that child to know he’s got people around him, supporting him, who will not tolerate that kind of behaviour,’ she said. ‘The boy it happened to is just the sweetest little thing ever. He’s so sweet and kind and gentle. It just makes it even worse.’

She said that as a mother, she did not blame the perpetrators, who were just ‘children’, but the responsibility lay with the adults involved: their parents, the school and the governors.

‘The boys are stupid,’ she said. ‘What they did was really, really stupid and silly. But I’m not sure if they realise what they were doing was so terrible, but the parents... As a parent, my moral compass at the moment is screaming.

‘Someone has to be held accountable for it. Someone has to say sorry.’

The school said: ‘We have today become aware of media interest in an incident which took place in January and involved a group of established friends and related to a single incident of unacceptable behaviour within the school grounds. A full investigation was instigated in line with both internal school procedures and Department for Education requirements, including contact with the police.

‘You can be assured that the school has taken this incident exceptionally seriously and that our absolute priority was, and remains, that the right path is taken for all those involved as well as the wider school community.

‘Given the on-going police investigation and the need to protect all those involved, you will understand that it has been necessary to maintain confidentiality and consequently that the school does not wish to comment further.’

A police spokesman said: ‘We were made aware of an incident... on January 22, which took place around lunchtime.

‘Inquiries are ongoing and the school is assisting. Six boys have voluntarily attended a police station and another has agreed to voluntarily attend.’

Any school failing to safeguard ethnic minority pupils is in breach of the Equality Act.

‘My moral compass is screaming’