Angry parents have hit out over primary school bullying after a boy of nine had a bone cracked in the playground.

A strongly-worded letter backed by a 60-name petition has been sent to governors and teachers at Grove Church of England school.

The letter attacks the school's lack of policy on bullying and demands an emergency meeting before the end of term.

Mum Jane Wernham, of Catmore Close, Grove, took action after her son Thomas was left with his arm in plaster after a playground clash over a soccer game.

She told the Oxford Mail he was kicked and punched by three other boys, suffering a cracked bone.

A year ago, in a separate incident with another boy, Thomas ended up in plaster when he was kicked from behind and had his wrist broken.

She said: "He's now having a terrible time going to bed, and he doesn't want to go to school any more.

"A dozen of us got together over this, but there are a lot more that have been affected." Headteacher Ron Hursey would not discuss the allegations but a school spokeman said he viewed it as an internal matter and it would therefore be "inappropriate" to comment.

The parents' letter read: "Unless this matter is dealt with head-on, we believe the discipline and the reputation of the whole school will rapidly deteriorate. Following on from recent serious incidents, the question arises: What does a child actually have to do to be excluded from a school?

"We expect a safe, non-threatening environment for our children while they are in the care of the school - one in which they can go in confidence to an adult and have problems efficiently dealt with.

"We feel this is not happening at the present, and we must emphasise that we do not believe this is the fault of any of the teaching staff, but rather due to the lack of a firm hand in dealing with the problems at a senior level."

The parents claim recent incidents have not been dealt with satisfactorily, and add that they are "extremely concerned" that the school's prospectus does not contain a specific anti-bullying policy or any statement about its exclusion and suspension policy.

The letter adds: "These incidents are affecting our children emotionally, mentally and physically, and as a consequence, their education is suffering.

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