Fury as schoolboy, 15, convicted of sex assault on girl in classroom is allowed to stay at SAME school as victim who is forced to 'pretend he's not there' - as head says they 'followed procedure'

A 15-year-old boy convicted of sexual assault againsnt a girl in a classroom has been allowed to continue to attend the same school as his victim who is forced to 'pretend he is not there'.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons was put on the sex offenders register after being found guilty of two counts of sexual assault.

The boy was allowed to remain at the school whilst awaiting prosecution and was then tried at a youth court almost a year after the assault.

He was given a restraining order and told not to contact or approach his victim.The school said it followed all procedures correctly, however the victim now has to share corridors with the boy who assaulted her.

Speaking to the BBC the victim said: 'I have to just keep my head down, pretend he's not there, otherwise it makes me panic.'

'It was known that boy was very 'hands on' with girls. He started making comments about me, touching my legs and putting his hands on me.

'Then gradually he started putting his hands up my skirt, touching my chest and I kept telling him to stop.'

The victim said she wanted to leave but that she felt as though she couldn't do anything and that she was 'powerless'.

Now the victim's family, from Essex, has said that they do not believe the youngster should be allowed to stay at the school.

Her mother said: 'I think the day he was found guilty he should have been excluded. He should not be allowed near my daughter or any woman right now. I worry every single day, even now. I don't feel the boy was adequately punished at all.'

Data from a freedom of information request put forward by the BBC revealed that at least 6,289 sexual assaults took place in and around schools between 2015 and 2017 - and there was a 60% rise across those three years.

This may include assaults on staff as well as pupils and was supplied by 26 of the 45 police forces from England and Wales, but excluded Scotland.

Some forces said certain offences took place outside school, or on the bus on the way to school.

In terms of what restrictions the boy will face back at school, these would have been part of the court order which would have also set restrictions on the boy, which included him not approaching the victim.

The Department for Education issued guidelines in May last year as to show schools should deal with sexual assault and the approach they should take once a pupil is convicted. However, this is dealt with on a case by case basis. MailOnline contacted the Department of Education for further clarification.

Anna Cole, inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, told the BBC she suspected the rise was down to better reporting by individuals and schools.

'Schools know they can't take this lightly. It can't just be dismissed as 'banter' or a normal thing that happens anymore,' she said.

This is while the NSPCC said the number of its Childline counselling sessions for victims of sexual abuse carried out by other children increased by a third between 2016-17 and 2017-18.

Almudena Lara, head of policy, said: 'We are alarmed at the number of sexual assaults that are taking place inside school gates, where parents rightly expect that their children are kept safe.

'Children must be supported to recognise what constitutes abuse and harassment, teachers must ensure that victims understand they are not to blame.'

Speaking to the BBC ahead of Inside Out on BBC One whis is set to air this evening, the victim said the guilty verdict helped her to deal with the ordeal.

'It took a massive weight off my shoulders to be listened to. For most part I felt I was going mad. [I was] told in court I was a liar, but to be believed was a relief.'

She added that it had been hard to stay at school knowing that her convicted attacker had been allowed to continue with his studies.

She added: 'I thought I wasn't going to see him. They said I'm their main priority. '