A mother who claimed her son was racially abused at a fee-paying school in Burnham-On-Sea lost her claim for damages on Monday March 20th.
Aliya Smethurst had claimed her son Mikhail was called “mud face” as a six-year-old at St Christopher’s School in Burnham.
She also claimed she suffered ill-treatment while she worked at the school as a boarding house matron.
But at Swindon County Court on Monday, the judge ruled against Mrs Smethurst, who now lives in Bedfordshire.
Mrs Smethurst, 37, was seeking damages from the school and its head teacher Diane Symes for racial discrimination, negligence regarding bullying, personal injury and assault on Mikhail, now 11.
She claimed her son had been verbally abused and was regularly kicked, punched and spat at, leaving him bruised and lacking in confidence. At an earlier hearing, Paul Gilroy, for the school, said Mrs Smethurst had been “principally motivated by bad faith.”
Mr Gilroy told the court that, during the period in question, Mrs Smethurst had called in seven different agencies, including the Health and Safety Executive and the police, to investigate her concerns about the school.
He said what Mrs Smethurst claimed was discriminatory behaviour by the school was a response to her own conduct. Mrs Smethurst, who now lives in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, was not at Monday’s hearing.
Her lawyers said they would be seeking permission to appeal against Judge Charles Wade’s ruling. St Christopher’s School has since closed due to falling pupil numbers.
