Zero tolerance of bullying? They have 100% tolerance.. it is like official policy
Teenager says senior staff failed to control thugs who beat him for being openly gay
A PUPIL at “war zone” school Bannerman High tried to take his own life after attacks he endured for six years.
The pupil, who headed the school’s LGBT awareness group, claims he was subjected to vile homophobic and violent assaults at least four times every term for six years. And when he sought support from senior teachers, no one was ever suspended or expelled. Instead, he was put in isolation in a Support For Learning base – which meant he spent all day in a room with other pupils who were being bullied, while the violent thugs continued to maraud through the school. The former pupil, now 18, spoke out in the wake of strikes by teachers who claim they are not being given proper support at the school in Baillieston, Glasgow. They complain of regular violent flashpoints, similar to those depicted in graphic videos sent to the Record in the wake of the recent storm around Bannerman. The former pupil told us: “The bullies are allowed to come into school and wreck the lives of victims on a daily basis, then come in the next do and do it all over again. “There are people being attacked in playgrounds, corridors and in classes and nothing ever happens to the people doing it. “I don’t know of a single person to be expelled. “The head teacher and heads of year keep saying they have zero tolerance of bullying but that’s just a sick joke because what they have is 100 per cent tolerance of bullying. “Tolerance of bullying is like official policy. “I was forced to sit out week after week of my school life in a horrible room, which was like being in prison, while the bullies just laughed at me. “I couldn’t even leave the room at lunchtimes, which was supposedly for my own protection.” The former pupil said he felt like he was being punished by being put in the Support For Learning base. The bright teenager’s ordeal began shortly after he started the school in 2016, when he was soon called p***, f ** and other gay slurs. He said: “I was ‘out’ quickly because I wasn’t ashamed and Bannerman would use me to promote LGBT stuff. I also did dance classes and in many ways I was a model pupil. But I walked around in constant fear of attacks and they came pretty regularly.” In May last year, the pupil and a lesbian friend were walking on a street at lunchtime when a known gang of thugs attacked them, throwing Red Bull over their clothes and hair, while calling them names. In another
Isolated & forced out of school.. I got no support PUPIL ON HIS TREATMENT AT BANNERMAN HIGH
attack, he was in a geography class when he was grabbed by another pupil and punched repeatedly in the face, as well as kicked and thrown around.
The attacker was sent home for the rest of the day – then was back at school the following morning.
In third year, the pupil was groped by a sixth year pupil who was seeking to humiliate him for his sexuality.
The school did nothing but eventually called police after the pupil’s mother and a supportive teacher complained.
Police were unable to prove which boy was the attacker and the case was dropped.
The pupil said: “There was never any deterrent for repeat attacks. They knew they were getting away with at and they had no fear of authority – there was no authority.” The attacks provoked several suicide attempts. The pupil said: “I got to the point of killing myself and was looking at weighing myself down in the bath with heavy items but just didn’t go through with it.
“I stood on busy roadsides or railway platforms, totally intent on jumping out, but I would be thinking that I would just be traumatising whoever hit me.”
He called for all schools to have their disciplinary procedures reviewed.
He said: “Bullies are roaming around all over the place and I am sympathetic with the head teachers who know there are guidelines that limit exclusions.
“But I was isolated in a room then forced out of school altogether, given zero support.”
The pupil said he agreed with the views of former teacher Kirsty Buchan, who hit the headlines last week when she resigned amid a furore over her sideline career as a soft porn model on the OnlyFans site.
Buchan said Bannerman was a “war zone” with pupils being attacked on a weekly basis.
He added: “Very few teachers were supportive of pupils but Miss Buchan would blow her top if there was ever any bullying or anything discriminatory going on.
“She would always follow up and make sure that stuff was investigated.
“If all the teachers were like that, there really could be a move towards ‘zero tolerance’.
“But the way things are now is just a disgrace.”
Across Scotland, teachers and other school employees have suffered an alarming 73,218 cases of verbal or physical abuse since 2017.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Bullying of any kind will not be tolerated in our schools and every allegation is fully investigated.
“No young person should feel unsafe or intimidated in school or the local community and our staff have been fully supportive and compassionate to the needs of both the pupils and their families.
“The campus police officer has also played a key role in both investigating the claims and offering advice and guidance.
“We want to reassure parents that any young person who takes part in unsuitable behaviour or bullying will be dealt with appropriately.”