The parents of a girl who was sexually assaulted aged six by a group of boys on the playground have won a undisclosed five-figure settlement from their local council.
The mother of the child, named Bella to protect her identity, says she now has a “broken little girl”.
She told the BBC that she found out Bella had been sexually assaulted when the girl could no longer sit down because of the discomfort.
Her parents say there was no help available for her in the following months and days, despite support being made available for the boys.
“We had a broken little girl who had been seriously sexually assaulted repeatedly over a number of weeks in school, feeling unsafe in school and she had nothing”
They had to pay for her counselling and the assaults left her with nightmares, she is now scared to leave her home and is now extremely anxious.
Her parents have been told Bella may need more counselling through puberty and in her first relationship.
“We had a broken little girl who had been seriously sexually assaulted repeatedly over a number of weeks in school, feeling unsafe in school and she had nothing,” her mother said.
Bella’s mother added the case was about setting a precedent, as well as to give her daughter the sense that action was taken.
She hopes the case will raise awareness about the lack of support provided for children who are sexually assaulted by other pupils.
“It matters for her I think when she’s older. She can make some sense of how she could be so seriously sexually assaulted so many times in a place where she should have been safe,” she said.
The council has not accepted liability but it is believed to be the first time the High Court has approved a settlement in a case of sexual assaults involving primary school girls.
One solicitor told the BBC that he has had a dozen families “actively considering” legal action as well.
Nearly 600 allegations of sexual offences on school premises took place last year involving under-18s as both the perpetrator and the victim, according to the BBC.
Among them there were 71 allegations of rape and 203 offences where the victim was under 13.