In a troubling incident at Aveley Secondary College in Ellenbrook, Perth, a 14-year-old boy has suffered serious injuries due to alleged bullying and violence, losing his two front teeth in the process. The boy, who cannot be named due to his age, recounted how he was assaulted by peers who mistakenly believed he was concealing a vape in his pocket; in reality, it was a chocolate bar.
The attack escalated to the point where he was held at knifepoint, resulting in his shirt being stained with blood. Shockingly, when his mother arrived at the school, police had not been contacted regarding the situation. She expressed disbelief at the school’s inaction, stating that the staff suggested it was her responsibility to alert the authorities.
The teenager described the experience as agonising, recalling the moment he was punched in the face in a school toilet last June. He said, “It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt… I was drooling, like, it’s just uncontrollable blood,” highlighting the severity of the incident. His mother described the sight of her injured child as “any parent’s worst nightmare,” describing her feelings of horror when realising her son was not in a safe environment.
The school was able to recover only one of his teeth. The boy expressed his unease about the violence he experienced, stating, “It’s still scary to me how someone can just do that to another human being.” This incident followed another assault where a student was coward-punched at a shopping centre, resulting in a broken jaw.
In response to the bullying incidents, local authorities, including the MP and the police, convened a meeting to address the growing concerns. Education Minister Sabine Winton acknowledged that all acts of violence are alarming and reiterated the government’s zero tolerance policy toward such behaviours. Although the government claims to be implementing measures to support the schools, concerns remain over the efficacy of these strategies.
The boy has not returned to school since the incident, and his mother has expressed disappointment with the education department’s efforts to assist in finding alternative schooling. She believes that without involving the police, meaningful action would not have occurred, emphasising that the education department’s assurances of adequate measures were misleading.
Moreover, a 15-year-old boy has pleaded not guilty to charges of grievous bodily harm related to this incident. Meanwhile, the boy who suffered a broken jaw last week has been discharged from hospital, with his father calling for the education department to adopt a more decisive stance on violence in schools. The growing number of reported assaults at Aveley Secondary College raises significant concerns about student safety and the effectiveness of existing preventive measures.