Backpack strap cut with scissors

[IkeSmile]

Hello everyone!
Back in December I needed your advice for actions against the school who covered bullying of a migrant child. Here we are again, with the same child and his backback strap being cut with a scissor. You can see in the picture that it's a clear cut.
Question?
React and complain in writing or ignore it?
I feel is the same child or a friend of his, acting like a thug? The only people wurh access to the cloakroom are teachers and the pupils.
Thank you!

My child is 8, and only his year has access to the room where the backpacks are stored during the school hours. So an 8 years old decided to use a sharp object to cut my child's backback.
What that child is gonna do next, and not just to my child?!
This is my real concern.
Thank you!

Complain to the school. Make the complaint in writing, detailing everything. The school then have to show that complaint and its resolution to Ofsted. Keep a copy of the letter as sent (dated the same date), and send it recorded delivery so they can’t deny receiving it.

The school did nothing today. The receptionist was told to tell me to stich my sons backpack, and that she's sorry but didn't find the child who did it.
Today that child cut my childs belongings, tomorrow he's gonna stab someone's child but hay, as long as he isn't seen...he's fine, because the school doesn't care.

Will do. The school said they don't know who did it and that I should stich/fix my child's backpack. And that's it! End of the discussion. A simple phone call at 4 pm.

Was it the child's teacher that phoned you?
Perhaps you could email the Headteacher to say that you fear that this is more bullying and you want the class to be spoken to/action taken. Ask what they would do under their anti-bullying policy?

What solution are you wanting here?

If they don’t have CCTV (likely), you don’t know which child did it and your son won’t tell anyone- what can they actually do? At best, they can give the whole class a lecture and ask the person (or their friends who know who they are) to come forward. But if they don’t, there’s really not anything they can do.

I fully agree that they should take action against the bully, if they know who they are and have evidence. But if it’s someone unknown, they’re kind of stuck even if they have stringent anti-bullying policies.

Good morning! I have left the backpack in a bag at the schools reception explaining what happened and saying that this needs to be looked at. I recieved a phone back at 4pm; the same receptionist told me that the headteacher said she "investigated and no one recognised he/she did it and the case is closed"...and I should probably stich my child's backpack. My son said that he was indeed in the headteachers office but briefly asked about it. Another child was slapped in the face on Friday by the one who was bullying my child in the past, but with no punishment, of course. The slapped child is a migrant aswell. So racism at its best!!!!
Thank you! I will ask if the children are gonna be spoken about the anti-bullying policy, ...again.

The school can’t do anything about this . No witness etc…

Hello! They don't do much if a child is bullied. With this happening in a school, you'd expect the scissors to be used by a pupil in year 3, only for arts and crafts, not to distroy children's property. Next time could be your child stabbed in the neck!
This is what I'm talking about. An 7-8 years old child took a drastic revenge (today) on another 7 years old, in a school.
The headteacher transmitted me through the receptionist that she didn't find who did it and that I should stich his backback. Case closed with no actions that will make the guilty child understand something...even if its told to all. "Children, this is not a joke"...something, anything really. This is what I was expecting from a Normal Headteacher.
Thank you!

You seem to be writing this like the child is not related to you, why are you involved? you seem to be drip feeding a saga so it is hard to make out what you are actually wanting

You say 'no punishment' for the bully. How can you know that? The school won't discuss another child's discipline/behavioural issues with you anymore than they would reveal confidential data about your son to any other parent.

I think you are following the right path here though. Keep complaining politely and factually . Follow up with emails so there is a paper trail. Don't let your concerns be fobbed off.

Have you spoken to the class teacher?
I am surprised they aren't following this up, but not sure why you went directly to the headteacher without going to the teacher first. Maybe the teacher is putting in place monitoring. Maybe they have spoken to the class and waiting for the child to own up.
Maybe they will have rules regarding access to the cloakroom.

Your point about another child being slapped in the face is irrelevant to you and you do not know what has been done or what the child's needs are.

I really don’t think this is good enough. I would respond again by email and say that you would like a response from the head. Not a juniot member of staff.

English isn't my 1st language and this is probably why.
My 7 years old came home on Friday with his backpack strap cut. We dosen't know who did it, the school doesn't know, but I want actions to be taken, because my child was bullied from the middle of year 2. He is now in year 3. Since December he started Muay Thai classes for self defense, because of the bullying.
The bully is Irish, like 90% of the school, including the school employees!!!
My son is one of the best in his year, with good reports, financially we're OK, he's always well dressed (clean) and well behaved. I always told him not to react to a bully, and just ignore it.
But this other child, recognised to others that he "HATE THIS CHILD AND THIS IS WHY I BULLY HIM" and the school did nothing!
I'm afraid now that this is the one who did it, as a revenge that my son is now in Muay Thai classes and doesn't feel afraid anymore, so cutting his backpack, when no one saw him, was the best option.
But with a headteacher who's Irish, the same teacher who when I went to report the bullying told me that I personally have something against a 7 years old...what can I expect?
In the picture you can see the clear knife/scissors cut.
This is the long story short!

i am stunned by the number of YABU votes. Not the same but when I was at school somebody was stealing pens from pencil cases. They couldn’t figure out who it was and how for weeks but the cloakroom was made inaccessible to us until they did. The school need to accept there is a problems.

If you want to make a complaint, you need to
follow the published complaints procedure of the school, to the letter. If you just call them
up making demands, they’re going to ignore you.

The class has no teacher for moths. They have "visitor" teachers ever since. The new headteacher has made at least 6 very good teachers, to leave, in one year since she joined the school. So my son reported to the teacher (visitor aswell) and she said she dosen't know and didn't report it.
The story is long and everything is relevant to my post. The bully slapping everyone is the one who I think did it, but because he's Irish like the 90% of the school employees, including the "famous" headteacher, nothing is done.
Lots of info about the anti-bullying actions on their site, but nothing is done in reality.
With this post I wanted to see what people would do in rhis case, because we see too many stabbings in schools these days and this is all starts, from hate.
This is what I want to prevent, and keep my child away from.

I would keep calm and I would do this. I would write it like a report- very factually and unemotional.
I think there will be information about how to complain about a school on the council website
good luck, I’m sorry this is happening to your child.

so you do know who did it? Tell the school
the name.

This is what saddens me the most. Case closed with a headteacher hiding from a concerned parent.
With this post I'm gathering enough "data" to formulate an email that will say what I want, with the best words.
English isn't my 1st language, but my heart tells me to make them aware that this is not a joke and needs to be treated with more interest.
Thank you again! ❤️

OP, an afterthought to add to my previous comments. Request a meeting with the Chair of Governors.

I’d be questioning why a class of that age have unlimited access to scissors sharp enough to cut through that strap, because average paper / arts and crafts scissors you might use in a classroom wouldn’t easily get through it. Unless of course the child is bringing a blade of some sort into school with him which is a whole other concern!

I wouldn’t expect the scissors to be taken away from Year 3 because of one incident of a backpack strap being cut, no. It’s perfectly normal to have scissors available in the stationery caddies on their desks, they likely cut and stick things fair often. It’s very melodramatic to leap from a backpack strap being cut to “someone could be stabbed!”.

It sounds like they have spoken to the class (as they say they investigated and no one is coming forward to admit it), so I don’t know what else you want. I’m sure at the time, they stressed to the children that damaging other people’s property is unacceptable, although at 7 they all knew that anyway and if this is bullying then the bully also knew that.

On your situation, I’d be keeping a detailed diary of bullying incidents that are happening to support an investigation down the line when you have a name. But with no suspect and no evidence, the school won’t be able to do anything about this specific incident. Even the police wouldn’t be able to solve a crime without evidence or a name.

To be honest once you lose faith in a school's ability to deal with systematic bullying you would do better to find a different school. I understand that there might be reasons why you like the school (possibly it it Catholic given that you have noticed the number of Irish children). I would though find a different school even if it doesn't fit your religious preferences. Put his name down for any which you think you could reasonably commute to. We had to do that with one of ours because although eventually they made some of the right noises when we involved the governors there was too little action to safeguard our children. They were much happier in a different school.

. Some schools are crap with bullies. I had this with my son.

Ultimately, if you feel the school is not supportive (and the trust has broken down between parent and school), then the best thing for your child might be to leave the school. Give yourself a timeline. Prepare by looking for an another school.