A SCHOOL boy has written an open letter defending his school after commentators attacked it online.

Daniel Lloyd, 13, has hit back after dozens of people took to social media to criticise the behaviour of St Birinus School pupils outside the school gates.

Several posts on Facebook have recently attracted much attention after boys at the school were involved in unruly and disruptive behaviour.

Seeking to name and shame the students involved, the posts attracted a barrage of abuse and criticism of the school in general.

In his letter Daniel said these comments had ‘escalated into sessions for people to run down the school and the students that attend it'.

The teenager has just completed Year 8 at St Birinus and said he was ‘angered and upset’ by the online abuse, prompting him to write the open letter in an attempt to put the other side of the story.

He wrote: “I don’t appreciate being called ‘scum’ or labelled in negative ways simply because a small minority of students are being prats and acting in a way that is not in keeping with the school’s ethos.

“Our school is not perfect, I realise this, but no school is. I challenge anyone to name me a school that has a perfect record where every pupil is behaved all of the time whether inside or out of school?”

Daniel encouraged people to take action offline if they are upset with pupils’ behaviour and raise the issues with the headteacher John Marston or another teacher.

He has offered to take the commenters on a tour around the school himself to show off its good side and prove them wrong.

Promising ‘not to hide anything’ Daniel has said he wants to introduce people to ‘all the amazing students’ who are working ‘tirelessly’.

He added: “We do not deserve the stereotype you give us so easily, and I certainly think that people who sit online running others down, not willing to reach out to the school or help the school take action but are happy to sit there talking badly of us in a place where no-one will challenge their opinion then those comments should be more reserved and thought through.”

Mum Adrianna Lloyd said she was very proud of her son for standing up for the school.

She said the letter had taken many drafts and three weeks to write and had been shown to the school before it was published.

She added: “He loves the school and has got a lot out of his time there so far.

“He has only just started to go on social media and some of the nasty comments really upset him – he didn’t understand why people would be so hurtful.

“We had to explain to him that people feel like they can say what they like online, without worrying about the consequences.

“He was adamant he wanted to stand up for the school.

“We warned him he may get negative comments himself but so far it has had a positive reception.”

The family has lived in the area for decades and Daniel is the third generation to go to St Birinus.