Disabled girl's hair set on fire and bullied non stop

[Matt]

Published: 14/12/2011 09:00 - Updated: 14/12/2011 09:16
Girl's hair set on fire by school bullies

Adam Luke

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/imagelibrary/Client%20Images/Client00004/ResizeCache/00203000/00203624%20-%20440x260.jpg

VICTIM: Shelby with mum Nikki, who wants tougher action taken against bullies after Shelby’s ordeal





A furious mum says schools “have to do more to tackle bullying” after her 13-year-old disabled daughter had her ponytail set on fire – during Ofsted’s anti-bullying week.
Nikki Browning, of White Hart Lane, Godmanchester, contacted the News to highlight what she sees as failures from teachers in “safeguarding children”.
Her daughter Shelby Barnes suffered at the hands of a crowd of children during Hinchingbrooke School’s break period, during which she was the subject of punching, hair-pulling and name-calling, with one person setting fire to her hair with a lighter.
The flames were put out quickly but the experience was so upsetting for the youngster, who was born with leg problems which are likely to leave her wheelchair-bound from the age of 25, that she cannot bring herself to return to school.
The harshest punishment the offenders received was a week’s suspension – but the school has defended its stance as “robust”.
Mrs Browning, who is also mother to Courtney, 18, Charlotte, 20, and 4-year-old Dylan said Shelby had to have more than an inch cut from her singed hair.
The 38-year-old said: “They surrounded her and beat her up and then set fire to the end of her pony tail.
“She often wears hair spray but on this day thank God she had it in a ponytail instead or it could have been worse.
“They made her life miserable and since the incident she can’t sleep and she hasn’t been eating – she is terrified and won’t go back.”
The attack took place last month during Ofsted’s annual anti-bullying week. The body uses this time to focus on how schools can promote and ensure pupil safety to reduce bullying and harassment.
Keith Nancekievill, headteacher at Hinchingbrooke School, said: “The school has strong policies and practice to address incidents of bullying which were confirmed by Ofsted's June 2011 report that ‘students feel very safe’.
“In this specific case, careful consideration was given to the application of the policy, taking into account the students’ young age and other relevant factors.
“Robust disciplinary action was taken consistent with these considerations and the school’s commitment to anti-bullying practices.”
Mrs Browning has been invited to talk to the school directly about her ongoing concerns.

That is appalling! To think this happened at my old school and that they did practically nothing about it! Just shows what school do about bullying... not enough Thoughts?

[GommeInc]

That's pretty unsurprising. Schools are too lazy to tackle the problem, they prefer to just suspend the ill-mannered and poorly behaved children rather than actually tackle the problem head on. Suspension is just another word for "a week on holiday", the child doesn't learn a single thing. If this was the 1950s it would mean something, but children these days have so many ways of contacting the outside world from inside their bedrooms that suspension doesn't feel like a prison sentence.

I'm not sure what is a suitable punishment, but from what I remember taking the bullies to one side and talking to them on their level about what they've done and about the condition of the girl seems like it would of been useful. Even getting them to apologise to her and be told to grow up wouldn't of gone a miss.

[HotelUser]

Awwh, she looks adorable in the photo, how could anyone be so cold as to set her hair on fire.

This occurrence reminds me of one similar where a special needs student in Ohio was called "dumb", "fat", and "friendless" by a teacher and special needs worker:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2059520/You-liar-No-wonder-likes-What-teachers-told-teenager-learning-difficulties-class.html

I originally saw the above on Anderson. Things like this bother me quite a lot, because some day this could be my daughter, niece, friend or even just fellow Canadian and I and everyone else would be clueless about it, so we couldn't do a thing to help.

[Neversoft]

careful consideration was given to the application of the policy

Ugh. They got that one right out of the book, didn't they. Bloody hate this generic stock language from teachers. This make anyone else cringe?

An unfortunate incident indeed. The bullies need a good whipping. Right after their hair is set on fire.

[Matt]

The two students should have been expelled in my opinion, it would then go on their record and cause a bigger problem for them seeing as they would need to get another school. You hear of people getting bullied and nothing being done about, then the best the school can do here is, as Ross said, give them a holiday. They need to learn something from this experience and hopefully be taught not to do it again. The police weren't even involved which is wrong. The parents should be charged and then the bullies would have to deal with their parents too.

@Neversoft i agree too. Put the bullies through what that girl suffered. Setting her hair on fire is taking bullying to the next level.

[Metric1]

the mum looks like my moms friend renee.

scaryyyyyy

[The Don]

Did they actually set her hair on fire, or is this beingblown out of proportion by the media? Either way it's horrendous to think that kids can be so horrible asto go and set someones hair on fire.

[GeorginaxD]

Did they actually set her hair on fire, or is this beingblown out of proportion by the media? Either way it's horrendous to think that kids can be so horrible asto go and set someones hair on fire.



Her daughter Shelby Barnes suffered at the hands of a crowd of children during Hinchingbrooke School’s break period, during which she was the subject of punching, hair-pulling and name-calling, with one person setting fire to her hair with a lighter.
The flames were put out quickly but the experience was so upsetting for the youngster, who was born with leg problems which are likely to leave her wheelchair-bound from the age of 25, that she cannot bring herself to return to school.
Yes, they set her hair on fire.

[GommeInc]

Yes, they set her hair on fire.
That doesn't really answer his question. He was wondering if the media was blowing it out of proportions, so quoting the media source reporting on this incident isn't really an answer :P It's like asking "Did Nick Clegg actually say Cameron was dumb or was David Cameron just blowing it out of proportions" and then quoting David Cameron as the source. It's not the first time the media has got a story wrong. About 4 UK newspaper companies copied a news story off each other which was actually wrong :P Something about a school leaving a child hanging in a tree due to health and safety issues when actually the woman who was quoted as the source was told to leave school property prior to the event.

[GeorginaxD]

That doesn't really answer his question. He was wondering if the media was blowing it out of proportions, so quoting the media source reporting on this incident isn't really an answer :P It's like asking "Did Nick Clegg actually say Cameron was dumb or was David Cameron just blowing it out of proportions" and then quoting David Cameron as the source. It's not the first time the media has got a story wrong. About 4 UK newspaper companies copied a news story off each other which was actually wrong :P Something about a school leaving a child hanging in a tree due to health and safety issues when actually the woman who was quoted as the source was told to leave school property prior to the event.
Hm, true I guess. :s

[-:Undertaker:-]

The same occured in my school and my school isn't even considered a 'bad school'.

Just another day in the nasty country we've become.

[FlyingJesus]

Anti-bullying week is just seen as a challenge tbh, same way as all the racist jokes come out during black history month. Ambiguous reporting in terms of whether the bullying was actually to do with her disability (which it states won't properly affect her until she's 25, although the extent to which she suffers isn't reported on either) or just general bullying with that as something she happens to have going on as well, but either way this is nothing new. Attacks on peoples' hair went on throughout high school when I was there, even between friends if we got bored, and bullying is hardly an up-and-coming phenomenon as shown by how actual physical violence is now seen as the absolute worst case where it used to be the norm

[Eoin247]

That's pretty unsurprising. Schools are too lazy to tackle the problem, they prefer to just suspend the ill-mannered and poorly behaved children rather than actually tackle the problem head on. Suspension is just another word for "a week on holiday", the child doesn't learn a single thing. If this was the 1950s it would mean something, but children these days have so many ways of contacting the outside world from inside their bedrooms that suspension doesn't feel like a prison sentence.

I'm not sure what is a suitable punishment, but from what I remember taking the bullies to one side and talking to them on their level about what they've done and about the condition of the girl seems like it would of been useful. Even getting them to apologise to her and be told to grow up wouldn't of gone a miss.

Well said, but unfortunately it looks like these sort of things will not change anytime soon

[geo]

I think it's awful that people would even do that. Schools don't really do anything with bullying although they make such a huge deal about it. I think it's awful how little they do about bullying and how long they spend on people's behaviour tbh. :s

[Chippiewill]

It's the system that's broken, the school loses school attendance days for students who are excluded. In essence the system punishes the school for doing the right thing. In this case however, I feel the action taken was mostly correct. The whole fire incident seems very serious, but if you've ever tried lighting hair.. you'd know it doesn't. In terms of the punishment, a longer exclusion would result in the students getting behind on work, a permanent exclusion should only really be considered for multiple incidents since it's less of a punishment to jump right to it.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Setting alight somebodies hair in my view amounts not only to being expelled, but is a criminal action.

[Chippiewill]

Children are children, criminal punishment would serve no purpose other than adding fuel to a non-existent fire.

[-:Undertaker:-]

Children are children, criminal punishment would serve no purpose other than adding fuel to a non-existent fire.

Actually when you punish people for criminal acts, and punish them harshly, they most times refrain from doing so again. Why do we have so much crime and bad behaviour? because we allow people to get away with appalling behaviour particularly from a young age.

I also can't believe you label this act as 'children are children', perhaps it just goes to show how far we've sunk when this is seen as childlike behaviour thats worthy of youngsters - but there are still many of us who believe that evil ought to be punished, and punished harshly.

[Judas]

Setting alight somebodies hair in my view amounts not only to being expelled, but is a criminal action.

I agree


Children are children, criminal punishment would serve no purpose other than adding fuel to a non-existent fire.

Children are children? This isn't just playground name-calling and teasing, a group of kids set a girl's hair on fire and physically assaulted her. If that is seen as acceptable childlike bickering these days then I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[Accipiter]

Isn't hairlacquera highlyflammablesubstance, and isn't this target female... I think it's highly possible her hair could be god damn flammable.

I don't think there is anyone specific to blame, it's the good ol' "I blame society" act, that kids are taught the needs to have dominance in groups from a young age, so go so stupid, ****** up attempts to create some aurora of dominance.

[Muct]

Children are children,
they beat her up and set her hair on fire, hardly a case of children being children lmfaoooo whatt
how many girls got their hair set on fire in your school?

i think it's kinda disgusting that all the school has done is suspend the bullies for a week, because let's be fair, NOBODY is going to go home after being suspended and lock themselves in their room for a week 'reflecting on what they've done and trying to change their ways'

[Richie]

The media is ****. No-one deserves to have their head set alight but at the end of the day just 'cause she is in a wheelchair doesn't mean she can't bully others verbally. I very rarely see bullying exist I'm not sure what the uk is like but even when i was a loner for 1 year in school and spoke to no-one i wasn't bullied once (and trust me insults aren't hard to create about myself). But hey, I'm one person and the UK may be completely different. There is normally always two sides to a story but the medias job is to focus on one. I hope her hair grows back and everythings grand.

[Matt]

The police should have been involved. I used to go to that school and it was such a nice school. They didn't deal with bullying very well but that girl is a year 8. That means she only just started that school. I wonder if this shows that the younger generation is spiraling out of control. I know that the year 8's at my school are unbelievable! Going round 'bashing' people all the time and now setting people's hair on fire. It never used to be like that. Whats changed?!?!?!

[JerseySafety]

Schools need to enforce more strict punishments, that is just not on - she couldn't even defend herself because she was disabled.