The mother of a teenage girl who took an overdose because she was being bullied has spoken of the moment she realised her daughter was trying to kill herself.

The 14-year-old pupil of Peers School in Littlemore had returned home from classes on Monday after having a meeting with senior school staff about being bullied. Later that evening, the teenager from Blackbird Leys took a bottle of painkillers.

She spent two days recovering at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. She is now back home with her family, but is still terrified of the girl she claimed bullied her, and will not be returning to Peers.

As more parents contact the Oxford Mail to complain about bullying at the school, the girl's mother said she wanted to set up a support group for families in similar situations.

She said: "I realised about 20 minutes after she took the pills what was happening. She was having a fit on her bedroom floor and I was straight on to 999."

The mother, who did not want her family to be identified, said her daughter had been picked on since moving to the school earlier in the summer. She became increasingly scared about going to school and her mother said she tried everything to sort the problem out.

She said: "I absolutely did not imagine she would try to kill herself - it was totally out of the blue."

The mother said the way her daughter had been treated at Peers - called into meetings with the school counsellor, school policeman and senior staff - had made her daughter feel insecure and as if she was in the wrong.

"There is no way my daughter is going back to Peers now. I feel as if there is nothing out there to really help parents like me."

Bridget Morton, the communications and operations manager at Peers School, said the school took bullying very seriously. She said they did not believe the situation was worse than any other school.

She added: "All incidents are investigated thoroughly and dealt with in an appropriate and robust manner. With regard to the case this week, we have talked and listened to the young girl and her family and we have taken their concerns seriously.

"The school has offered care, guidance and support through her head of year, the school counsellor and the school's police officer "We work closely with all pupils in the school to ensure they feel happy, cared for and listened to."

Mrs Morton asked any parents with concerns to contact the school. She said: "If they bring those concerns to us we will investigate then very thoroughly."