Islingotn Tribune - News: Pupils attack disabled man

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Islington Tribune - by MARK BLUNDEN
Published: 18 May 2007

Pupils attack disabled man

A DISABLED former ambulance driver has become the latest victim of school pupils who abscond from lessons and attack residents of a nearby estate.
The 51-year-old man who lives on the Spring Gardens Estate and is waiting for a heart transplant was allegedly attacked by a boy from Highbury Grove Secondary School on Wednesday.
He suffered a panic attack and breathing difficulties after allegedly being punched and kicked in the groin.
The father-of-six said: “I couldn’t breathe. It took me 20 minutes to get my breath back.”
He now wants to leave the estate.
The man has persistently confronted large groups of youths who vault the fence and play truant.
It is understood the boy is presently suspended from Highbury Grove but other pupils all wearing school uniform, every school day smoke cannabis, spit and defecate in the stairwells, residents claim.
They told the Tribune they have “had enough” of the aggressive youths.
But they complain of a “wall of silence” from the school when they ask for action. The man who was attacked said: “A lot of people have washed their hands of that school. We’ve reported what’s going on time after time but nothing’s been done.”
Highbury Grove has a dedicated police officer but residents say this has done little to stop the drug-taking and intimidation.
They say teachers are powerless to keep them in school and say pupil behaviour has become worse following the dismissal of a respected teacher earlier this year.
Highbury Grove headteacher Truda White did not return our request for a comment.
An internal school document seen by the Tribune states: “The school already serves a very needy population with a very high percentage of students with special needs.”
It is due to be demolished in January 2008 and rebuilt in a three-year programme as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative.
Councillor Ursula Woolley, the council’s children’s chief, said: “There are 1,165 pupils at Highbury Grove School and the majority behave well.
“Teachers do carry out regular patrols around the school, including the Spring Gardens estate. But anyone who has concerns about pupils’ behaviour should contact the school and the police.”

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