My Life

I am a gypsy and I live with my family in a village in southern
England. I started primary school when I was six. I had the odd
person call me names but not many did.

When I moved to middle school it started. I can be quite mouthy.
I told everyone what I was but they didn’t really like it so
they started calling me a pikey. I used to threaten them with
people but my parents told me I shouldn’t.

So after that I just hit them. But that wasn’t the way
either, so I told the teachers, but they did nothing. One day
everyone ganged up on me – some of it was my fault for being
mouthy, but that wasn’t the point.

So I moved to a different school but I hated it there. No one
bullied me but I just didn’t like it. So I moved back to my
previous school. That was OK at first but then the problems started
again. I got suspended for breaking up a fight so my mum took me
out of school for eight months.

I started my new school in January 2003 and everyone found out
what I was and started calling me pikey and saying “us lot
don’t wash and steal everything”. In year eight in maths my
teacher called me incompetent. I told my head of year, who said:
“If you had done as you were told she wouldn’t have said it”.
I said all I wanted was some help. When they called me a pikey I
told the teacher but when I retaliated to the name-calling they
isolated me from the other pupils.

What has to happen to us before they do something?