Schoolboy 'degloves' his arm on fence after 'trying to run away from fight with fellow pupils'

A mum has slammed a school after her son "degloved" his arm on a fence whilst trying to escape a fight.

The parent, who wishes to remain anonymous, said her 15-year-old son needs a skin graft after he was "scarred for life". The incident took place at Northallerton and Sixth Form shortly after 1pm on October 4.

Emergency services were called to an "altercation" between at the school, which resulted in the teenager sustaining "life changing" injuries, his mum said. Initial reports suggested that the boy became injured during a fight which was broken up by staff. However, his mother disputed the claims.

The woman, who said her son is a SEND ( Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) , explained that he was injured as he "attempted to climb over the metal spiked fence to escape". She said he caught his arm on the top of the fence, which caused blood to gush out from the gaping wound.

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After getting to the other side of the fence, having not realised the extent of the injuries to begin with, his mum said he then collapsed and "blood continued to pour out of his arm". She was called by Northallerton School, and rushed to the scene, where she was met by teachers and "screaming blue lights" with police, ambulance and the air ambulance.

The pupil was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where it was decided that he would need reconstructive surgery. His mum claims that if the area does not regenerate in two weeks, surgeons will remove some skin from his thigh to graft onto the area. She said her son will be "scarred for life, physically and psychologically" and has since deregistered him from Northallerton School.

She said he "wasn't out of control and was no threat to the other pupil involved or to the staff" and criticised how he was restrained in the aftermath of the altercation. She added: "It will be bad enough for him to have to pass the fence every time he goes into town and back.

The Areté Learning Trust, which is responsible for the school, said that an investigation into the incident was ongoing. Concerns about the school's provision for pupils with SEND had been raised prior to last Friday's incident, with a meeting held for parents to discuss issues on Friday, September 27. In response, Northallerton School said that the "Areté Learning Trust is investigating the events of last Friday (October 4, 2024). It would be inappropriate for the trust to provide further public comment on this matter".