Armidale Secondary College bullying victim told to move to Tamworth

The mother of the daughter, who does not wish to be named, has reached out to The Armidale Express and revealed that she received the letter from the school confessing that ASC can no longer offer her daughter safety or protection and that she should instead, leave town.

The letter, which appears to be a recommendation on the school's behalf to other potential educational options for the child, states:

"Although various strategies have been implemented, we as a school community are unable to maintain the safety of (student's name withheld).

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Over the past year of schooling at Armidale Secondary College, (the student) has been the victim of continuous bullying, harassment and violent behaviour. This has continued outside of school despite every attempt by the school, NSW police and family to keep her safe.

"As a result of our inability to ensure the safety of (student), I am strongly supporting (the student) and their family's relocation to Tamworth and enrolment into a Tamworth school so that she can maintain her education and find some stability again."

A spokesperson from the NSW Department of Education said the letter did not reflect Department of Education policy.

"The school is currently refreshing its Positive Behaviour for Learning approach among students and staff."

The Armidale Express also obtained a copy of a shocking video of the 13-year-old female student in question being physically assaulted by two other students on the grounds of Armidale Secondary School close to a year ago.

The 30-second footage which appears to be taken on a mobile phone, shows a student being assaulted by two other students, one who is in school colours, on the grounds of Armidale Secondary College.

The victim is seen repeatedly taking blows to the head, having her hair pulled and being kneed to the upper body as she desperately tries to defend herself using her arms to cover her face.

As she is punched and kicked, onlookers, including the videographer, are heard urging the attacker to continue assaulting the girl saying: "Keep going, from the bottom, uppercut her."

While this is happening, other students in the background seemingly walk by casually and barely take much notice.

It's understood the school took strong disciplinary action against the student involved, including calling police the following morning.

A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education said the video was not reflective of the school environment nor the values and standards the school seeks to uphold.

"Armidale Secondary College does not tolerate anti-social behaviour and is committed to ensuring every student feels safe, supported and engaged with their learning.

"The video depicted is an incident that took place almost a year ago. Strong disciplinary action was taken at the time, including involving police. Well-being support was provided to the affected student and their family."

The mother of the child said her daughter has been living in fear since the incident and due to ongoing bullying within the school grounds, and also outside of school hours, was forced to stay home.

The Department of Education spokesperson said the impacted student continues to be supported by the school, well-being staff, the learning and well-being team and the home school liaison officer.

However, the student's mother said her daughter had ceased attending school for fear of violence and had been sent homeschool packages for her to complete by herself.

She said there had been little consultation from the school itself, and said although the school had recognised the student was studying from home, continued to send letters questioning why she was not in attendance.

In May 2023, Armidale Secondary College came under intense media and public scrutiny after a violent string of assaults between students emerged on social media platforms.

The escalating violence was raised with the education minister Prue Car by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall who pressed for an urgent review of the operations at the Armidale Secondary College.

In a statement, the NSW Department of Education said Armidale Secondary College had a "strong culture of achievement across all areas of education including academic, sporting and creative arts".

'We remain proud of the work of Armidale Secondary College in delivering a quality education for students, which is highlighted by the fact that last year, the school had the highest ATAR in the New England region across government and non-government schools."

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