Boy, 11, suffers concussion after classmate allegedly kicked & punched him in Yishun school

A single mother was working when she received a call from her 11-year-old son informing her that he had been "beaten up" at his primary school in Yishun on Oct. 8 afternoon.

The boy also told his mother, surnamed Chan, that he sat sit through his three-hour oral examination while "in pain", reported Shin Min Daily News.

While Chan sensed from her son's voice that he was tired and in pain, she did not ask for further details as she was occupied with work, according to 8world News.

It was only when the mother-son pair returned home that evening that Chan noticed her son's head was swelling.

When her son said he was "feeling dizzy" and "wanted to vomit", Chan immediately brought him to the emergency room at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH).

The mother-son pair stayed at the hospital for the night.

The next day, the doctor said the boy was diagnosed with "a mild concussion".

What happened

According to Chan, her son told her that he was assaulted at around 1pm on Oct. 8, reported 8world.

At that time, the boy was waiting for his oral exam with his classmates at the school canteen.

While waiting, the boy put his hands on a freshly painted wall, which caused him to slip and fall to the ground.

Male classmate 'kicked, punched' Chan's son

A male classmate approached the boy and kept asking him what happened, Shin Min reported Chan as saying.

As Chan's son did not want to share his mishap with the classmate, he did not respond to the questions.

The classmate apparently did not take this well, and he started to hurl insults at Chan's son.

When told not to talk to him in such a manner, the classmate was "even more enraged" and allegedly pushed Chan's son to the ground.

The classmate allegedly began kicking and punching the head and face of the victim.

Other classmates intervened

Chan told 8world that while she understands that the classmate is also a Primary 5 student like her son, the other party was "taller and more buff".

Her son was unable to defend himself as a result, the mother said, and would have sustained more injuries had it not been for the intervention of other students, reported Shin Min.

After being alerted to the incident, a teacher arrived and brought the injured boy to a school affairs office.

The teacher then helped apply ice to the boy's injuries, and the school notified Chan.

Chan lodged police report

Chan lodged a police report, reported 8world.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that a police report was lodged.

As the boy had another exam scheduled on Oct. 10, he left the hospital on Oct. 9.

However, over the next two weeks, he kept telling his mother that "he felt pain in his cheeks".

When Chan noticed that a bruise had suddenly appeared on her son's cheeks on Oct. 24, she brought him to the hospital for an X-ray examination.

Fortunately, the doctors did not detect any serious injuries, recounted Chan.

Incident 'traumatised' boy

Chan said she had already spent more than S$1,000 on her son's medical bills, according to 8world.

However, what was more heartbreaking for the mother was noticing that the assault had traumatised her son, reported Shin Min.

While her son used to be a lively boy who loved going to school, he has told his mother multiple times that "he did not want to go to school again" and "became quieter during enrichment classes".

"After the incident, my son put up a brave front. But I am worried every day that someone will bully him again at school," shared Chan.

Parents of classmate yet to apologise: Chan

The mother also claimed that she had been in contact with the school since the day of the incident, reported 8world.

She was informed that the parents of the classmate who injured her son "had apologised to the school".

However, the classmate's parents "did not apologise to her or her son", and they did not share whether they were willing to foot the medical bills.

While she has sent her requests via email to the classmate's parents, Chan told Mothership that they had yet to reply her as of Nov. 5, almost a month after the incident.

The mother said her wish now is for "the classmate's parents to take responsibility for their son's actions" and "not condone bullying in schools".

School statement

In response to Mothership's queries, a spokesperson from Chan's son's school said it takes "a firm stance" against bullying.

According to the spokesperson, the school has "counselled the student who caused hurt", "engaged his parents", and "meted out appropriate disciplinary actions to help him learn from the incident".

The spokesperson added the school is "committed to ensuring the well-being of all students".

"We have been engaging the student who was hurt and his parents to offer support, and put in place measures to ensure that he continues to feel safe in school," the statement read.

Top images via Chan's Facebook