Schoolboy discovers over 20 racist notes stashed in his bag by fellow pupils
A black student was left in tears after finding over 20 different handwritten racist notes hidden in his backpack.
Each note contained vile racist slurs including the words "monkey", "c**n", the N-word as well as statements to referencing slavery telling him to "go pick some cotton."
This is the second time the Year 9 boy who attends Desborough College in Maidenhead, Berkshire, has been racially abused at school, his mother says.
Earlier this year, she claims that her son was told, “black people, go back to your country” but that the school “totally failed” to deal with the incident.
Now a month later on June 16, the student and his mum were left devastated after discovering a score of racist messages placed in his school bag.
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Speaking to the Mirror, his mum said: “I just broke down in tears. How can someone do that to a child? I was really overwhelmed. It's something that’s calculated. Someone premeditated this.
Desborough College in Maidenhead (Google Streetview)“He doesn’t normally check the outside pocket of the satchel but he was looking for something and that's when he searched the outside pocket and found these little notes in there. He showed me and said, ‘look mum, someone is bullying me.’”
The boy’s mother reported the incident to the school the following Monday but questioned why she hadn’t received an outcome regarding the previous incident earlier in the year.
She said: “They failed me and my son totally.
“I said to them, ‘you never came to me with an update about the previous incident. Whatever you did didn't work.
“You didn't deal with the issue properly now this is an escalation."
Since discovering the racist messages, the boy’s mum says that he hasn’t been able to sleep as he doesn’t know who placed the sinister notes in his bag.
The hospital worker also worries how this could impact his mental health in future if it isn’t dealt with “properly.”
She said: “Even when he returned to school this week, he just broke down. It's affecting his sleep. He can't sleep properly and he's thinking about what's going to happen.
“He said to me, ‘Mum, I don’t know who exactly it is.’ Maybe someone who befriends him or talks to him. I work in a hospital and I see children who come in for self harming.
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“People who overdose just because they are being bullied at school and no one is hearing them. It is very dangerous and even on a child’s self esteem it has a huge negative impact. No child should go through this.”
School says the pupils responsible have been identified (stock images) (Getty Images)The school says they have identified who the culprits are and the mum is calling for them to be expelled.
However, she says the school will not tell them who the children are or what action will be taken.
She said: “These kids who are doing this, no child should do this. I want to see them expelled from the school. How can they do this to someone? I don’t wish this on my worst enemy.
"These kids don't just wake up and know these words. There is something happening in these children’s homes. You’re thinking how can a Year 9 student know all these words. They must be hearing these words from somewhere. What's happening with the culture of the school around bullying. ”
The mother went on to add that she believes Desborough College is only taking action the second time around because she posted a picture of the vile messages on social media to expose what took place.
She said: “This time I think what's making them panic doing all of this is that the story is now on social media. So there is pressure on them to ensure that they are dealing with this issue properly.
“They can't hide from it, they have to deal with it.”
A spokesperson for Desborough College said: “We have a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination, including racism.
“As soon as we became aware of this incident we took immediate action and are continuing to support the pupil and family involved.
“We consider behaviour of this nature wholly unacceptable and as such are currently conducting a full investigation around this and a prior incident, in line with our relevant procedures and policies, including safeguarding and behaviour.
“We can confirm the school has already determined those who were involved in this incident and we have taken the necessary actions in regards to these individuals.
“We are also continuing to liaise with the appropriate authorities on this matter and are fully supporting them in their enquiries.
“Our aim as a school is to provide a safe, nurturing and welcoming environment so that every pupil, colleague and family member feels welcome in our community.
“This is supported through our assemblies, our personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons and wider curriculum, and we will be increasing these over the coming weeks to reaffirm our commitment to these values.”
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