Sheldon School in Chippenham 'has problem with bullying'

That is the claim made by a mum whose 14-year-old girl attends Sheldon School in Chippenham. She wished to remain anonymous but says her child faced “targeted” and repeated bullying that “worsened” as the year went on.

This includes alleged incidents that range from name calling to her daughter being encouraged to self-harm.

She claims she reported this to the school on numerous occasions but often didn’t get replies.

The parent added that when meetings have been held over her daughter’s wellbeing, teachers failed to implement measures agreed at those meetings.

She said: “I think they’ve got a problem with bullying because of their approach to it. It doesn’t feel like they’re doing enough, and I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall.

Sheldon School in Chippenham

“Children shouldn’t have to deal with all that… at one point one of the teachers told me my daughter would have to ‘harden up’.

“I think it’s a really sad, sad situation and I can’t imagine what it’s like for other parents having the same issues who don’t have the same support network as me.”

She added her daughter felt “intimidated” and “trapped” by the treatment, which has reportedly had an impact on her mental health.

The mother of two emphasised that she had no problems with the staff’s “friendly” treatment of her or her daughter, but is worried they have not dealt with issues well when they have been raised.

She added: “They’re never rude, if anything they’ve treated me like a friend and they’ve done some good things, but they’re not doing a good job.

“This school is massively failing to adequately address issues in relation to bullying, communication, safeguarding and the well-being of pupils.”

Sheldon School headteacher Neil Spurdell (Image: Newsquest)

Sheldon headteacher Neil Spurdell insisted bullying is uncommon at the school and all issues are dealt with.

He said: "We have a very clear anti-bullying policy in place which is shared with parents and pupils. We want all pupils to feel safe at school and to report any concerns - and all concerns that are reported are dealt with. 

“Ofsted visited the school very recently and, in its inspection, stated that ‘pupils feel safe and welcome. The ‘Anti Bullying Charter’ means that all pupils know how they should treat their peers. As a result, bullying is uncommon’. 

“We cannot comment on individual cases, but we are obviously disappointed that a parent still has concerns, and we would expect that parent to speak to us directly."