03/04/2025
THE mum of an S1 student who suffered concussion and a broken nose after constant bullying at school, says she's had to take her daughter out of Bathgate Academy - just so she can get an education.
"I may also add the first years have a 'kill list' based in their PE changing room," Caitlin Farrell told West Lothian NEWS, "where they write which pupil they would love to die.
"I got my daughter to go in and take photos and phoned the Academy, who had quickly sent a cleaner in to remove it.
"I'm really sorry if your child's name is on it - my daughter's name was all over it so I know how heartbreaking it is.
"My daughter has been getting bullied for the last four or five months at Bathgate Academy: Stealing her bag, going into her bag and emptying it out all over the school, stealing her shoes, trying to fight her and spreading rumours."
Caitlin added: "It was a weekly basis of phoning the school. Eventually, after long enough, the head of house phoned me back and assured me it would be getting dealt with.
"Fast forward a bit later and I get a phone call that someone has got my daughter at the Astro and could I pick her up. I find out someone has decided to fight her because they 'didn't like her'. Again, the school said they would deal with it.
"Then we get to February. Another call from the school asking us to pick her up, with no explanation as to what's happened. Myself and her dad go up to find out some rat has decided to corner her in the Astro and pull her to the ground and repeatedly kick her in the face.
"She was howling the minute we got there and kept complaining of a sore head, nose and jaw and all we get from the deputy is "she may have a broken nose and concussion. You should get her to a hospital", quite the thing. "We take her to the hospital and she had a concussion and broken nose and extremely swollen face.
"We spent nights staying up with her due to how sore she was.
"I may add that teachers stood watching this happen and did not intervene to help her or stop it.
"My daughter was too scared to go to school, the place where they promised they would keep her 'safe'. No wonder, when on that particular day there were six fights alone on that astro."
Caitlin said when she had a meeting with the school, her daughter was handed a written warning. "I asked why, to be told 'she hit the girl back'.
"I have never known a school to be so dismissive," she added. "It's unreal. There was no punishment for what the kids have done to her, not even as much as an apology for the torment she has been through. "
Now Caitlin has moved her daughter to another school, even although it's further away from her home. "It's just so she can get an education," she added.
- We would love to bring you a reply from West Lothian Council to Caitlin's comments, but they will not respond to social media. They told us: "If we started giving media responses to one page, we would then have to do the same for all of them."