Schools have been ordered to investigate all incidents of playground bullying for racism after a white 15-year-old boy was brain-damaged in a hammer attack by a gang of Asian pupils.
A report today found Ridgeway School failed to recognise a series of racist incidents prior to the assault and called on teachers to have more contact with police.
It also pushes for schools nationwide to record the ethnicity of bullies and victims and take urgent action should a pattern of racism arise.
The report was the first serious case review into problems at a school.
It examined circumstances surrounding the attack on Henry Webster who suffered a fractured skull after being punched, kicked and hit with the sharp end of a claw hammer in January 2007, when he was 15.
The 6ft 2in former rugby player was left brain damaged when he was ambushed by a group of youths who called themselves the ‘Asian Invaders’ on the tennis courts of Ridgeway School, in Wroughton, near Swindon.
Afterwards, his attackers – four of whom were pupils at the school – punched the air in triumph, shouting: ‘That’s what you call Paki bashing.’
In 2008, 13 people were convicted over their role in the attack.They were given sentences of up to eight years behind bars.
Although Henry, now 18, has recovered sufficiently to return to part-time education, he still suffers from short-term memory loss.
Today’s review, which involved speaking to the school, police, council and other organisations, slams the establishment for failing to tackle the growing tensions between Muslim and white teenagers.
It claims opportunities to intervene to address escalating issues were missed – even after a riot on the playing fields.
And it says the school was not adequately prepared when about 20 Asian pupils from central Swindon joined the rural school in September 2005 – less than two months after the 7/7 London bombings.
Their enrollment had been designed to improve community relations.
According to the Telegraph, the review says: ‘[Ridgeway] knew well in advance that a significant number of British Asian pupils were joining the school in September 2005.
‘They did not prepare for this which was soon after the London bombings in July 2005. The likely influence of all pupils’ communities and families on pupil behaviour was not understood.’
However, Henry’s mother Liz Webster branded the report a ‘whitewash’.
‘We are very concerned that the report has failed to address many of the failings which surrounded our family’s treatment throughout this terrible episode in our lives,’ she told the Telegraph.
‘The criticism of the local authority is tantamount to a whitewash as it is so minimal and limited.
‘The review doesn’t mention what needs to be done to improve race relations in Swindon which is an urgent concern considering the increase in the vote for the BNP.’
Her son was attacked after he agreed to fight a boy ‘one on one’ to end the harassment which he thought he and his friends were experiencing.
The vicious ambush, which happened after four boys pointed him out to three Asian men who arrived in cars, lasted one minute.
Six blows from a hammer produced by one of the intruders left the teenager with a depressed skull fracture.
Criticised: Ridgeway failed to prepared for the arrival of about 20 Asian youths prior to the attack, according to the report
Last year, Henry, of Beranburh Field, Wroughton, and his family launched a High Court challenge claiming that the school had been negligent, failed to maintain proper discipline and failed to deal with racial tension. The school denied liability.
In February this year, Mr Justice Nicol rejected their claims and said the school did not breach its duty to take reasonable care to keep Henry reasonably safe while on its premises.
Following the High Court ruling, the Swindon Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) commissioned a Serious Case Review to examine the facts and allow professional agencies to learn lessons.
The Department for Education is expected to release an executive summary of its findings – not the entire report.
Mike Howard, independent chair of the Swindon LSCB, said: ‘I hope that the Webster family, and in particular Henry, regard this report as a thorough examination of the events around the dreadful attack which he suffered, and it will help them all to move on.
‘I am sorry that what was already an extremely distressing experience was made worse by the lack of co-ordinated support they received from some agencies.
‘The attack took place over three and a half years ago and, despite the regrettable delay in concluding the SCR process, many of the measures made in the recommendations have already been identified and acted upon by individual agencies.’
The report also lists the lessons learned from this case. One of the most significant is that, in the event of critical incidents within schools, the level of support required by victims and their family should be a key consideration.
About 40,000 incidents of racism have been reported by schools every year since 2002 when they were placed under a legal obligation to monitor all racist incidents.
However, the review’s 32 recommendations would further add to the ‘red tape’ facing schools which Education Secretary Michael Gove has planned to cut.
The case shed light on the number of racists attacks at schools in Swindon. Between November 2006 and November 2008, police dealt with 337 crimes – 137 of them violent incidents.
The highest number of those attacks, some 58, occurred at Churchfields school while 52 were recorded at Ridgeway school.
In the past 12 months, admittedly, perimeter fences and bans on mobile phones has helped the school reduce its number of violent crimes.
However, Henry’s mother Liz Webster called the report a ‘whitewash’.
‘We are very concerned that the report has failed to address many of the failings which surrounded our family’s treatment throughout this terrible episode in our lives,’ she told the Telegraph.
‘The criticism of the local authority is tantamount to a whitewash as it is so minimal and limited.
‘The review doesn’t mention what needs to be done to improve race relations in Swindon which is an urgent concern considering the increase in the vote for the BNP.’
The Department for Education is expected to release an executive summary of the serious case review – not the entire report.
About 40,000 incidents of racism have been reported by schools every year since 2002 when they were placed under a legal obligation to monitor all racist incidents.
However, the review’s 32 recommendations would further add to the ‘red tape’ facing schools which Education Secretary Michael Gove has planned to cut.
Henry’s case shed light on the number of racists attacks at schools in Swindon.
Between November 2006 and November 2008, police dealt with 337 crimes – 137 of them violent incidents.
Of these, 52 were recorded at Ridgeway school.
Since then, the school has reduced its number of violent crimes with perimeter fences and a ban on mobile phones.
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