I haven't posted on here for years (last time was to do with breasfeeding!) but now I need some of your valuable mumsnet advice. And apologies, it's a long one! ds is 9 (yr 4)and is in tears most days after school! He, on the whole is a quiet child who doesn't like sport, hates football, (not interested in world cup) and would rather sit and read the latest Anthony Horowitz (honestly!). His class has some rather (to put it nicely) exuberant boys with whom he has no wish to play. The rest of them play football/run around which he doesn't want to do either and the girls tend to play with the girls. He tells me he is quite happy doing his own thing/watching them as long as they don't ask/make him join in, which on the whole they don't. I wanted to tell you this so you get a general picture of ds. Now here's the problem. There is one particular boy, and, to make matters worse - he's our neighbour - who constantly winds my son up, constantly digging, poking, telling the teacher lies, deliberately tripping him over, basically doing whatever he can to get my son in to trouble. When ds tells the teacher that this boy is poking him/told a lie about him, the teacher just tells him to keep away from this boy. DS does, but this boy doesn't keep away from DS and it never stops. They were both made to stay in all playtimes today because this boy said if ds didn't join in playing football he would punch ds in the stomach and then he did anyway! The teacher didn't see, just heard a comotion and kept them both in. Didn't give ds a chance to tell his side of story. I don't know what to do as I am quite friendly with the mother and have never told her of this. She knows her son is no angel but is oblivious to what her son is doing to my son. My ds doesn't play with this boy after school even though he is practically next door and I have coffee sometimes with the mother. (She's a really nice, genuine, friendly woman). I constantly try to 'play it down' but now I really don't think it's fair to expect him to want to go to school knowing that no-body listens to him and nothing gets done. I saw the teacher last term and she says she does notice what happens and tells them to keep away from each other, but then this boy doesn't keep away from my ds and I don't know what to do. Half of me feels that he should 'toughen up' and the other half wants to pick him up and run away. DS wants to move schools. I feel he may have a point. I live in a nice area. This school is a good one. People move house to get their children into this school. I have two other children at the school so it would mean finding a school for all three of them! I don't want to be one of those mums always having to see the teacher but I don't know what else to do now and I feel I'm at the end of the road. Any help gratfully received.