Market Drayton’s Grove School has vowed to clamp down on internet bullying after a pupil suffered abuse at the hands of cyber-bullies on a popular social networking site.
The girl, who is in year seven, was the victim of a vicious group set up on social networking site Facebook.
A number of pupils at the school were responsible for creating the page while other students added themselves to show their support.
The page was found by a Market Drayton resident who said it was “appalling and disgusting.”
The resident, who did not want to be named, said: “I would like to draw your attention to the appalling and disgusting Facebook group, started by some pupils whom I believe, from their profiles, attend the Grove School.
“On searching through Facebook for Market Drayton related links and information, I was horrified to see blatant public bullying of this scale, particularly given the recent campaigns regarding the very real trauma caused by internet abuse of this nature.
“It is a damning portrait of Market Drayton, The Grove School, and some of its pupils and their parents, and they should all be hanging their heads in shame.”
Jane Radbourne, head teacher at the Grove School, said she would be writing to the parents of the pupils involved.
She also vowed the pupils will be disciplined in school.
Jane said: “I have two big concerns. The first is that there is inappropriate material about one of our pupils on Facebook. The second concern is the safety of all the children involved.
“It worries me that any member of the public is able to log onto Facebook and identify students, look at pictures of them and find out information about them.
“Our filters do not allow Facebook or any other social networking site so this isn’t happening in school.
“But when it affects one of our pupils it becomes a school problem.”
Jane added pupils are educated on internet safety known in school as E safety.
She said: “We have two teachers who specialise in child protection. We get pupils to create leaflets on cyber bullying so they know what to do if it happens.
“I do think the school is doing all it can but it is something you have to constantly re-visit.”