Parents’ outrage after teachers let bullied boy, six, wander out of his school twice
AN ANGRY father has removed his sixyear-old son from school after he was able to get out and walk home without any staff stopping him.
Little Dennis Woodcraft clambered over a 4ft fence, negotiated busy roads and was nearly two miles away when his father found him 45 minutes later.
Taylor Woodcraft has now taken his son and his daughter Josie, five, out of St Osyth Primary School in St Osyth, Essex, after complaining that his son had managed to slip away twice.
On the previous occasion he says his little boy got past security cameras but returned to school before anyone noticed.
‘He left because there were two boys in his class swearing at him and one wanted to have a fight,’ said Mr Woodcraft, 30.
‘He told his teacher but she did not believe him so he decided to go home. He’s got a lot
‘I can’t believe staff didn’t stop him’
sense for a young boy, so I know he’d be okay getting home. But it’s the worry of someone spotting him and taking him.
‘There’s no way on earth he’s going back into that school. We’ve not had an apology. We were told we might get one in writing when they have completed their investigation.’
Dennis made his first, faltering, bid for freedom on Friday but then made a more determined effort on Monday.
Staff at the Church of England school near Clacton alerted police and contacted Mr Woodcraft and his wife Emma, a 28-year-old barmaid, when they realised he was missing. Mr Woodcraft – who claims the school has failed to stamp out bullying – leapt into his car and eventually found him wandering home near a local shop. ‘He had walked a mile and no one had stopped him,’ he said. He’d told his friends he was going home and even told his teacher before collecting his book bag and leaving.
‘He went over a 4ft gate at the end of the playground and walked off. I can’t believe school staff didn’t stop him.’ Dennis, who was in his school uniform, said he was upset, telling his father: ‘They were calling me stinky. I am not stinky. I haven’t done anything wrong, Dad.’
Mr Woodcraft, who also has an eightmonth-old son, Alvin, demanded an urgent safety review at the school, which was put in special measures in 2015 after being found ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors.
He added: ‘They can’t even see where he got out on the security cameras.’
A school spokesman said: ‘We are aware of an incident. We are taking the matter extremely seriously.’