A teenager took an overdose and self-harmed after becoming the victim of bullies at a Bradford secondary school.

Sanah Atta, 16, who hopes one day to be a barrister, should be taking mock tests ahead of her GCSE exams this summer but she has not attended Thornton Grammar School for almost a fortnight She told the Telegraph & Argus she had been beaten to the floor and kicked repeatedly in the head by another girl during a lunch break.

It proved to be the breaking point at the end of three years of suffering at the hands of a small group of girls at the school, her mother Parveen Akhtar said, and Sanah has been too upset to go back Sanah said: “I want to go back but I’m scared something will happen again. I’m missing out on my studies. The bullying has been going on since Year Eight but it got worse.”

The blows to her head have left Sanah suffering from dizzy spells. She has been taking painkillers to combat the affects but she was admitted to hospital after swallowing a considerable amount of ibuprofen.

Miss Akhtar said. “I want everyone to know what my daughter has been put through,” she said. “She is such a lovely girl, down to earth and so polite. I can’t believe what has happened.

Thornton Grammar’s head teacher Chris Sampson said the school was doing everything it could to resolve the situation. He said: “The school has spent a considerable amount of time working with the family and outside agencies to support them to resolve problems.

"The school has robust policies that have been consistently applied in this case and is committed to ensuring the welfare of all students.

  • Read the full story in Thursday’s T&A