"...all procedures have been followed..."

A mother has been banned from a primary school after confronting a bully who used her five-year- old son as a 'human punch bag'.

It seems a little stupid, in this day and age, to confront a pupil directly. Why didn’t she go through the school if her child was being bullied?

Ah. It seems she tried:

Christine Hart, 38, calmly asked the pupil to 'please stop hitting' her son Arthur after he endured months of bullying despite several complaints to teachers.

But a teaching assistant saw and hauled her off to the headmistress, who told her not to cross the school gates and to attend a hearing with the governors to discuss her conduct.

Parents are getting hauled off to see the head now?

Crikey! Hope they don’t give her lines, or six of the best…

She has been warned she could face a further six-month ban for 'verbally abusing' the pupil and interrupting a class.

She was also told that causing a 'nuisance' at school could constitute a criminal offence and that any further incidents will be reported to police.

And probably to the Independent Safeguarding Authority to, once it’s up and running…

'I am being punished because I stood up for my son when the school appeared to be doing nothing about my complaints,' she said.

'What message does this send to the boy? I don't know if he's ever been told off. Instead, I'm the one who is made to feel in the wrong.

'The message is hit Arthur whenever you like as you cannot be touched. If anyone challenges you, they will be cast out of school and threatened with the police.'

Yes. That’s exactly the message that they are sending to bullies. They know it, too.

After all, how else can they ensure that they nurture enough future police officers , transport managers and cabinet ministers for the future…?

The school issued a statement saying that pupil safety was paramount and all bullying procedures had been followed.

Whew! Thank the lord for that – ‘all procedures have been followed’.

No, they didn’t resolve the situation, but so what? That’s not what ‘procedures’ are for anymore, are they?

They are for creating the illusion of action, and batting away criticism…