CHILDREN as young as five abused a partially-deaf classroom assistant, spitting at her and sticking sharp pencils in her, a tribunal heard.

Jennifer Arch, head teacher of the special school, knew April Lake had hearing problems, but gave her no extra support, it was claimed.

On one occasion, she was said to have trapped Mrs Lake in her office and shouted at her for being late, even though she had been attending a doctor's appointment.

Mrs Lake told the Brighton hearing the confrontation on April 21 last year was the culmination of a series of bullying incidents by the head and pupils of St Anne's Special School in Lewes, which caters for children with learning disabilities.

Anxious

Mrs Lake, of Shanklin Road, Brighton, claims she was unfairly dismissed because of her disability. East Sussex County Council and St Anne's School deny this.

The tribunal heard Mrs Lake was summoned to see the head after arriving late at school following a visit to the doctor.

Mrs Lake said she felt scared and anxious when the head spoke to her in an aggressive manner, asking why she was in school if she was sick.

The conversation became heated and Mrs Lake went to leave. She said Mrs Arch closed the door and put her hand on the handle to stop her.

Mrs Lake said she went to lunch in a distressed state and was later told by a class teacher she could go home.

But the following month she was called to a disciplinary hearing and told she did not have permission from the head to go home that day. She was accused of posing health and safety risks to the children and was later given a written warning.

Mrs Lake went off sick and later resigned.

Mrs Lake's hearing problems developed in 1997 and meant she could not take part in group conversations and suffered from continual ringing in her ears.

Despite this, she said she was given no support from the head or teachers even when children were verbally and physically abusing her.

Mrs Lake said: "I was not protected by the staff from these incidents. Teachers always took the children's side rather than mine.

"The children were allowed to get away with pushing and abusing me. I was hit in the stomach in the cloakroom. I was slapped and spat at and had lunchboxes, bags and books thrown at me. They swore at me daily."

She said Mrs Arch told her on her first day that she had an attitude problem and was very difficult.

Mrs Lake said whenever she had a day off sick, a note would appear in her pigeonhole telling her to see the head, who constantly told her off for letting the teachers and children down.

The hearing continues.

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