A school has vowed to crack down on any bullying after a claim a boy was beaten up close to the site.

Councillor Steven Henderson saw a group of 50 youths watching as a 15-year-old was punched by another youngster in Gordon Way, Dovercourt.

It is not clear which school those involved were from, but Mr Henderson has written to the nearby Harwich School to ask if it was aware of the incident, which happened on January 10.

PC Mark Talbot, the officer stationed full-time at the school, said there had been an incident on Wednesday, where a boy was punched by two others, but he was not familiar with the incident reported by Mr Henderson.

But he vowed to clamp down on any example of bullying inside or outside the school.

He said: "The bottom line is that it does happen occasionally but it is dealt with positively.

"I would not say the school has any more problems than anywhere else. I am here to deal with any incidents of a more serious nature."

Deputy headteacher Nigel Mountford also stressed Mr Henderson's claim would be fully investigated.

Mr Mountford said: "I can assure you the head will deal with any issue where there is any aggression or bullying the parents will be spoken to and police officer involved."

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Published Friday, January 21, 2005

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