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Stephanie Balloo & Hannah Mackenzie Wood

Horrified mum removes son, 8, from school after he 'came home with 38 bruises'

A "shocked" mum has taken her eight-year-old son out of his special needs school after allegedly finding '38 bruises' on his body.

Melanie Beech removed her son Kylan from The Bridge School in Sutton Coldfield over fears he is being 'bullied'.

The 32-year-old claims she found 18 bruises on one the youngster's legs and 20 on the other after picking him up on March 16.

Kylan has not returned to the school since, with Melanie looking to find him another placement for September.

She says her son previously arrived home from school with a black eye in January and 'bruised' in December - prompting fears he was being 'hurt by another child'.

While The Bridge School said it couldn't comment on individual cases, a spokesman for the Forward Education Trust said they take the safeguarding of children "extremely seriously". Simon Dilkes, Acting Chief Executive Officer, said the school 'fully investigates' any situations where "allegations have been raised".

Ms Beech, whose son had been attending since 2020, told Birmingham Live : "He's had bruises all over his legs, all over his arms. There was one incident he went back in January and he came out of school with a black eye.

Kylan's bruised leg after an alleged incident in December last year. (Birmingham Live)

"I went and picked him up and he came out of school and he had this black eye. I was really shocked.

"I said 'oh my God what happened to his eye?' They said he had caught it on the table, they said he tripped." His eye, his mum continued, then "popped out" and formed a "big bruise, like a lump".

Ms Beech claims there were inconsistencies between the teachers' accounts, with another telling her son hit himself in the eye. Back in December, he was really bruised.

Kylan's mum is concerned he is being 'bullied' at the school. (Birmingham Live)

"That died down, it wasn't fully investigated. On March 16, I got him from school brought him home, got him in his pyjamas and no lie there were 18 bruises on one leg, and 20 on another.

"It's been an ongoing issue since and I've kept him out of school. Now, it's taken them a good few months, now they're saying he did it himself.

"I think somebody must be doing this because no way can my son do that amount of bruises in six hours. I'm going to send him to another school in September. He's not allowed to go back because of how bad it's been."

She claimed social services are investigating her allegations, while she has been struggling mentally. She added: "I'm really struggling with what's going on. I've had to have therapy.

More bruising on Kylan's legs. (Birmingham Live)

"He can't talk, he can't tell me what's happening and with him being bruised, I don't know if he's being held down and not being watched and some other child's hurting him."

A statement by Forward Education Trust on behalf of The Bridge School, Sutton Coldfield read: "It would not be appropriate for us to discuss details about individual pupils, we take our responsibilities for the safeguarding, welfare and well-being of our children extremely seriously.

"As a Trust, with each of our schools, we work hard to create an environment in which all pupils and staff feel safe, supported and happy. In any situation like this, where allegations have been raised, we investigate them fully and follow all safeguarding procedures and practices.

"We work closely with our families and always encourage them to raise any concerns or worries directly with us so that we can address them together."

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