The obligatory first day of a new school year photo. A different one for us this year as Beatrice is starting a new school. She had to leave her last school because she was being badly bullied, tormented, taunted, made to feel stupid. It was constant. She was repeatedly threatened that she was going to be locked in a room and she would die there alone and her Mummy and Daddy would never find her. She was was asked why Rich and I have the jobs we have and that we must be thick. Comments about the size of our house and that we were clearly poor.......and so it went on. The mother then started bombarding me with hateful, aggressive messages. The apple doesn't fall far from the true. The school did nothing......and actually neither did all of the other people who watched on, passing gossip and talking about us.....they are as much responsible. I had to remove my daughter, because the bully always wins and because I had to limit the damage this was causing. I have followed the full protocol set out by the school - I cimppained to the teacher, I complained to the head, I complained to the proprietor......no response from him. I had to give him 21 days to reply, he received my letter on the 23rd July so he was bothered, clearly. The matter is now with Ofsted, The Department of Education and the Independent Schools Inspector. And failing all of that I will name and shame the lot of them because they are messing with the wrong woman! To watch my kind, funny, bright, confident daughter lose her sparkle, question what she did wrong, ask if anyone will be her friend properly, ask if this will happen to her again, become anxious and afraid has been one of the worst experiences of my life. But to parpahrase from one of her favourite musicals.....Nobody, in all of Oz, no bully that there is or was, is ever going to bring her down.