Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Bullying ordeal is behind him now
Harry Pritchett was driven to despair as school bullies made his days in class a living nightmare.
But a move to Sturry’s Spires Academy has turned his life around, with a raft of good GCSES testament to the positive change.
Mum Laura, who lives in London Road, Canterbury, said: “We’re so proud of him because he suffered from bullying terribly at his old school, which meant he could barely face going in.
“He was being driven to despair and we knew we had to get him out of that environment.
“The change in his experience at the Spires has made all the difference.”
“They really encouraged and nurtured him and got his confidence back.”
Harry, 16, said: “It was largely verbal and psychological bullying but was pretty much every day and got completely out of hand and made me very unhappy.
“It knocked my confidence, but coming to the Spires made a huge difference.
“It was so much better and I could settle into my studies, although I am still surprised I did so well.” Harry’s good grades will allow him to go into the sixth form at Canterbury High, where he plans to take A-levels in the sciences and hopes to one day work in medicine.
Spires Academy principal Nicki Mattin said she and the staff were extremely proud of its students and their results.
She added: “This has been a year group that has experienced incredible change with a third of them having suffered severe disruption in their education when the Chaucer School closed at the beginning of their GCSE courses.
“The entire year group has been remarkable, demonstrating great resilience, commitment and maturity over the time they have been with us.
“Due to their hard work and the dedication of the staff the results show a 100% improvement on last year with all subjects showing improved results.
“There were many individual success stories and we wish them well as they embark on their new courses and careers.”