FOLLOWING “hurtful” and “untrue” comments of social media, Birchwood High School Headteacher Emma Mills has written an open letter stating that murdered schoolgirl Brianna Ghey was not bullied at school.
In the letter to parents and carers shared on social media Headteacher Emma Mills, with the permission of Brianna’s mother, said she was writing in response to inaccurate and “hurtful” comments on social media.
Ms. Mills wrote: “I would like to thank all of you who have emailed me this week to offer your support following some inaccurate comments on social media last weekend.
“As a school, we are going through the most painful times following Brianna’s tragic death and staff here, like everyone in the community, have been left devastated by what happened.
“I would ask you to please keep this in mind when commenting on social media or speaking to school staff who are just people doing their jobs to the best of their abilities.
“At Birchwood, we are a team of committed individuals who care about our students and any suggestion this is not the case is both hurtful and untrue.
“If you have any concerns, please do let us know and we will continue to address them in the thoughtful and compassionate way that we have always done.
“You can do this by emailing your child’s Head of House, a member of the pastoral team, or a member of the senior leadership team.
“Following some of the comments made on social media recently, I spoke again with Brianna’s mum who confirmed that Brianna was not bullied at Birchwood and always felt well-supported by the school and she gave permission to share this with you all.
“Until now we have tried not to respond to some of the inaccurate comments on social media out of respect for Brianna and her family. However, I believe they had to be addressed to offer reassurance and support for everyone who is part of our school, whether they be staff or current students with the sad loss we experienced.
“We are hurting together and I hope we can all support one another as we continue to deal with this sad loss we have experienced.
“I thank you in advance for understanding.
Meanwhile, the school is busy preparing for a “Wear Pink with Pride for Brianna” next Friday raising money for MiSP, at the request of Brianna’s family, to try and train a member of staff in mindfulness practices in as many schools as possible in Warrington.
Donations in Brianna’s memory can be made via https://briannaghey.muchloved.com
