A PRESTWICH mother is keeping her daughter off school claiming she could have died after a playground prank backfired.

Mrs Sandra Freeman, of Polefield Grange, is demanding that Parrenthorn High School carries out a full investigation - which school bosses say is already under way.

Her daughter, eleven-year-old Joanne claims another girl poured correction fluid into her asthma inhaler. Joanne, who needs the spray three times a day, didn't realise and took her usual dose.

"It tasted bad so I spat it out and my nose started to bleed," she said. "On my way home from school I got a headache and felt funny."

Joanne told her mother who took her to see the doctor. "She kept having nose bleeds and I was really worried," said Mrs Freeman. "The doctor said she would probably be all right but if the nose bleeds continued she should go to the hospital."

Mrs Freeman added: "The girl who did this came round to apologise, saying she had done it for a bit of fun. She even asked for her correction fluid back!"

Mrs Freeman called the police and also contacted the school.

Headteacher Mr Arthur Francis said: "The staff have been weighing up the situation but we have to be very careful as there has been some doubt as to who is telling the truth. The opinion of the staff is that there are faults on both sides and they have acted in the interests of both children involved.

"We would, of course, be very concerned and take very seriously any incident where solvents are involved and a child is in danger."

Mrs Freeman has condemned the school's handling of the incident: "Joanne is not going back to school until something is done and there is a proper investigation.

"I don't think the school has been at all helpful. I lost my temper because they seemed to be saying Joanne was somehow responsible for what happened. I am sorry about that but what parent wouldn't be angry if their child's life had been threatened?"

Mrs Freeman met with education chiefs last week, but said: "I didn't get anywhere. If they had just turned round and said they were sorry it would have been all right. They didn't help and they just implied Joanne had done it herself."

But Mr Francis says that the school's investigations are not over.

"We were not aware of all the details before the meeting and our investigations are ongoing."

The asthma spray has been taken away for tests.

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