Comments

• Difficult to comment without knowing the full facts. Bullying does take place in schools, and it is not healthy for the bully or the bullies. Having had a child who was bullied at Orleans in the past I have great sympathy for the mother and child, whatever the rights and wrongs of the case. In some way it is worse with boys, because one parent may view their son's behaviour as "boisterous", not realising that it is causing great distress to another.

  We don't know, for example, whether the mother in this case had taken the issue to the school first, before trying to deal with it herself. Certainly in my son's case, the then headmaster took the case very seriously, and the issue was dealt with in a way that left my son and his tormentor as friends.

  Certainly in the first instance, it is always best to use the resources of the school to try to sort the issue out.

  Jane on 2009-07-21 11:00:37 +0000

• Surely the issue here is not about the alleged bullying but the parent's actions. Short of a situation where urgent intervention is required to stop harm to a child, I can think of no circumstance where it is justified for a parent to discipline another's child when they are in the care of a school, and where it happens, the school must take the strongest action. What choice do they have?

  Sadly this story has been distorted in various places around the world, and the publicity it has generated will have undermined the school and betrayed the rights to anonymity of someone who is alleged to have been bullied.

  Laurence Mann on 2009-07-21 13:29:20 +0000

• Unfortunately this article is only this woman version of events. The truth is very very different. The school acted entirely appropriately in banning her. There have been numerous occasions where her behaviour was completely inappropriate and a danger to other pupils and parents. Her son was not being bullied. She is the one who should question her own behaviour. this woman is completely mad - and a news of the world journalist....

  john on 2009-07-21 18:46:12 +0000

• I feel sorry for the poor kid (Well done Mum - was this your 15 minutes of fame??)

  david on 2009-07-24 15:40:16 +0000

• Children need to develop their own strategies to cope with a host of unpleasant encounters in life. Wise mothers stand by and do not intervene although this may be painful.He must experience confrontational situations and learn to deal with them himself if he is to survive as an independent adult.Unfortunately, this publicity has made the child unpopular with a wide audience of parents ,teachers, and other pupils. He may need to change school but now unfortunately for the child he will go with a reputation . This action was not in the best interests of the child

  Jill Taunton on 2009-07-25 18:57:23 +0000

• My daughter complained of bullying at a local secondary school. I allowed her one day off and wrote a discreet letter to the school . She returned nervously to a negative atmosphere. She is now 26 old and the most positive assertive female you would wish to meet. I believe her experience in learning to cope with bullies by herself has made her a very confident self-assureed young adult

  Jill Taunton on 2009-07-25 19:15:51 +0000

• My daughter complained of bullying at a local secondary school. I allowed her one day off and wrote a discreet letter to the school . She returned nervously to a negative atmosphere. She is now 26 old and the most positive assertive female you would wish to meet. I believe her experience in learning to cope with bullies by herself has made her a very confident self-assureed young adult

  Jill Taunton on 2009-07-25 19:20:11 +0000

• Our children are currently in the local school system, having started at Orleans Infant School, and of course there have been incidents which because of the low threshhold set by the school for bullying (which is a sign of how seriously they take it) have taught them both that it is unacceptable to be bullied and also that some of the things they do can be regarded as bullying.

  We have never painted them as victims, which appears to be what is going on here.

  Laurence Mann on 2009-07-26 09:02:53 +0000

• This comment below the article on the thisislondon website article is hilarious:

  "It's tough school in a rough area with a head who is in charge but not in control whatever the mealy mouthed platitudes on their website."

  Without intending to imply anything, Christine Hart must be quite an interesting character:

  www.amazon.co.uk/Searching-Daddy-Looking-Family-Longing/dp/0340962267

  www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/moors-murderer-barred-from-suing-newspaper-1389372.html

  Ed on 2009-07-26 17:44:06 +0000

• The press have been quite irresponsible here. On the facts reported there is no excuse for interfering with other people's children in a classroom, and they must know that the school cannot comment on things under investigation. I think there should be a complaint to the Press Complaints Commission about the one-sided coverage.

  It appears that Ms Hart has herself written articles for the Sunday Times and the News of the World. The former are available online if you search the archive, but what they actually mean is hard to say.

  We do treasure the freedom of the press in this country but when that freedom is abused as it has been here, then I think I know who the bullies really are.

  Laurence Mann on 2009-07-26 18:17:38 +0000

• There were NOt numerous ocasions where i acted badly. if you mean the party where my son was attacked then i think telling the same bully off was appropriate. As for making it public - that was done by the bullys mother - not me. yes - asking him to stop hitting my son was not n the best interests of my son - I let him down. Ill have to live with that.

  Chrissy hart on 2009-07-29 01:10:41 +0000

• John your comments on me are defamatory and untrue _ i know who you are and I am launching legal action. I hope you have the proof you will need. I think I would have been aware of any other incidents and no letters exist from Pip to me re any incidents. I also have e mails from leading Mother inviting me to playdates - a danger? Highly defamotory and untrue. May I also remind you Pip was initially sympathetic but was leant on by parents - you! Becasue most of the parents of the girls have e mailed me! In sympathy - (not support) Have you any idea what is is like to hear your child in pain. I tried over and over with teachers and the school and it wasnt getting any better. Aggressive - no. Apart from this website i have the suport of many. However I agree - it was wrong. I dont mind being banned. but my son said -'Mummy today I wasnt hit because you asked the boy not to. Why are u banned? Dont the school care about me. Regret? NO. You cant bitch and smear me as much as you like - but this isnt about you adults but a boy. AS for fifteen minutes of fame - Im a writer -I have fame already. Judge on.

  Chrissy hart on 2009-07-29 13:29:08 +0000

• This is a debate re banning from a school. Lies about previous episodes and smears about stroies that newspapers have printed apologies the next day as they are untrue. see The Times - next day. Stupid childish and odd.

  Chrissy hart on 2009-07-30 12:05:14 +0000

• Sounds to me like this woman was merely protecting her little boy

  Michael Mc Kay on 2009-07-31 21:13:47 +0000

• Sounds to me like this woman was merely protecting her son.

  Michael Mc Kay on 2009-07-31 21:15:32 +0000

• Ms Hart, had every right to intervene with the bully, when is more appropriate when her son losses an eye. She HAD complained to the school, on many occasions but the school where too soft on the bully, the bullying has had many witnesses. With Ms Hart having to witness her own son being grabbed and punched by this little terror and his henchmen. If it where me, I'd teach my son a martial art. And tell him to beat the bully to a pulp. This bully WILL be a criminal when he's older. That's for sure. Scummy parents breed scummy children.

  Rob on 2009-08-02 11:45:19 +0000