A 13-year-old schoolgirl was sent explicit messages and photos by 80 men she had never met in just one day after her Snapchat details were shared on adult forums as part of a campaign of bullying against her.
The family of Tina (not her real name) has accused Denton Community College in Tameside, Greater Manchester, of failing to support her after the teenager began to be bullied by up to 11 other pupils at the start of the year, which led her to develop anxiety, and being unable to sleep.
The abuse, which included threats to her life being made, as well as being ostracised at mealtimes, offensive name calling and body shaming, meant the Year 8 pupil felt isolated and unsafe attending school, and her mental health deteriorated, the Manchester Evening News reports.
A spokesperson for Denton Community College said they ‘take all reported concerns regarding safeguarding and bullying very seriously’ and are working to ensure pupils and parents with concerns have the support they need.
Tina’s bullying ordeal culminated in her Snapchat handle being shared on adult forums without her knowledge, portraying her as a woman in her twenties who wanted to exchange sexual ‘chat’ and pictures. Her family believes one of the bullies was responsible.
This led to her receiving contact requests from more than 80 men using the site - some of which were explicit messages and photos. Her family has reported the cyberbullying to Greater Manchester Police, which has recorded it as a crime.
Tina said the contact made her feel ‘scared’ because ‘all these old men’ were messaging her even during school hours. “If you didn’t answer the message, it would be a picture,” she added.
Her mum Gemma* said: “I reported to Denton Community College at the end of January that my daughter was being bullied by 11 children, which led into the community and led to cyber bullying.
“The school did nothing, absolutely nothing. My daughter wasn’t going to school, she didn’t feel safe there. She had the bullies saying ‘I’m going to knock your head six feet under’.
“One of them was setting sex chats up online in Tina’s name for all these perpetrators, and the school didn’t care. In one day she had 80 people contacting her. I got GMP involved in that, and they went into the school about it."
Gemma added: “It really, really impacts on her emotional wellbeing. She said she didn’t feel safe from her peers, and she didn’t feel safe from the staff. Tina ended up totally isolated in that school.
“She was a confident 13-year-old popular kid and now she’s the total opposite. She won’t even go out the front door now.”
In one instance Gemma had to collect Tina from school when she suffered a panic attack after the family claimed she had been told she would be put in detention if she left a classroom where she was sat alongside the pupils bullying her.
However despite the raft of incidents, her parents say no support was provided by the Taylor Lane school, which was recently rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted, and there was no offer of a form change or part-time timetable to reintegrate her into classes. One teacher described the abuse she was receiving as ‘petty’, the family says.
Instead Tina has been unable to attend school regularly since March, with her absences going unauthorised despite numerous GP letters being submitted to school leaders stating the issues she was experiencing were ‘affecting her mental health, confidence and energy’.
But the family say the college leadership refused to accept their GP’s backing of her school absences, because he was not CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health services) trained.
“I got four GP medical letters saying she was in a low mood and her mental health was suffering and the school refused to accept these GP letters,” Gemma added. “They wouldn’t authorise her absences and they wouldn't send her work home.
“I had to fight an appeal to get Tina into a different school for her own safety. It was absolutely abysmal and horrible what she’s been through."
Tina’s parents even contacted local MP Andrew Gwynne in desperation after they felt their pleas for help were going unheard.
The Ofsted inspection, which was published in March, stated that a ‘considerable number of pupils’ told inspectors that they do not feel safe at Denton Community College.
“Many parents and carers also expressed concerns about the safety and welfare of their children,” the inspection team added. “This is because of the high number of incidents of poor behaviour, along with the use of derogatory and discriminatory language, which are part of everyday school life for many pupils. Many pupils told inspectors that this language is accepted as the ‘norm’.”
After six months of struggling to get the education she needs, Tina has now changed schools. She said she feels happier to have ‘got away from it all’.
A Denton Community College spokesperson said: “Whilst we cannot comment on individual cases, we would like to reassure people that we take all reported concerns regarding safeguarding and bullying very seriously.
“Our post-Ofsted action plan has safeguarding as the most important priority and when such incidents are brought to our attention, they are investigated fully by the school.
“The school is working closely with the local authority and the improvement partner, as part of its improvement journey to ensure that students and families who have concerns, especially in relation to personal well-being or academic matters, are provided with the necessary support at the earliest opportunity.
“We are keen that students and parents should contact their head of year or a senior leader at their earliest convenience, so that we can resolve any concerns they may have.”
