Rotherham mum slams Clifton Community School for 'completely failing' to stop her daughter's bullies

The concerned mum spoke out to The Star after finding her daughter with a knife in her hand pleading not to go back to school, where she claims the bullies are pupils.

The mum claimed the bullying began in mid-January and said that despite reporting it to Clifton Community School, it has not stopped.

She said she shown the school offensive messages her daughter had received from her bullies, including one which said “no one likes you” and told the young girl she had “no mates” and branded her a “weirdo”.

She had hoped that showing the messages sent to her teenage daughter would have resulted in action, but claims the school has failed to stop the bullying.

This is despite an Ofsted report in January 2025 stating: “Bullying does occur at the school. When this happens, the school has robust processes in place to deal with it.”

The worried mum told The Star it appeared as though Clifton Community School “cared more” about whether her daughter wanted to move schools rather than doing anything about the gang picking on her every day.

“I don’t want to send my girl back to school because I don’t believe she is safe,” said the mum, who asked not to be named.

“On the Friday at the end of last half term, I walked in on my daughter in her bedroom holding a kitchen knife and crying about not wanting to go back to school.

“It makes me so sad. I’m trying to protect her. I don’t know what more I need to do.

“I’ve told them. I’ve shown them them the messages. I had meetings. But they don’t care.”

Clifton Community School has been contacted by The Star for comment numerous times, but has not responded.

The mum said the messages to her daughter began in mid-January.

She said group of both girls and boys at the school had been harrassing her during the school day and texting her abuse when she was home.

Messages ranged from telling her she had no friends and no one liked her, to ones goading her to harm herself.

Even after removing her daughter from school on February 6, the messages have continued, the mum claimed.

Her mum said: “I reported it to the police as I don’t feel she is safe - then the school said 'now that you've got the police involved there is nothing we can really do.'

“It's disgusting. They know about the bullying and have done nothing to punish the bullies.

“I have had no emails from the school or anything in writing.

“They show no empathy in meetings.

“When I met them, I told them if things do not improve I will move her to another school. Instantly, all they wanted to talk about was moving her. Are you kidding? I’ve told you my daughter is being bullied so badly I want to move her, and that’s what you focus on? Why aren’t you doing something about the girls picking on her?

“They have failed us both.”

The mum said since keeping her daughter at home because of the bullying, she has been warned by the school that she is at risk of being fined if attendance does not improve.

“She’s not going back to that school,” the mum told The Star.

South Yorkshire Police was contacted for a comment. A spokesperson said an officer attended the school on February 25 and that the school was “dealing with the situation internally.”

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