London schoolboy endured so much racism he broke out in a rash on his face

• Tap above to watch video report by Kaf Okpattah.  

• You might find Abel's account of the way he was racially targeted difficult to hear.

A London schoolboy endured so much racism it made him ill and he even broke out in a rash on his face.

Abel, 11, suffered appalling abuse at St Mary's Catholic Primary School and recounted his story to ITV News London with huge bravery.

"They gave me racial abuse, calling me you XXXXXXX monkey," he explained.

"Your black life don't your black life don't matter, you fat gorilla.

"You know it really brings me down and this affects my mental health," he added.

Abel said there was a time when he was physically attacked and he retaliated by sticking up for himself.

He added: "So then that I kicked him back because I'm obviously going to do that, and then he just said, 'what the hell are you doing to my friend?' and then he punches me in the face."

The trauma at school left physical marks on Abel and he developed perioral dermatitis, a condition which can be caused by stress. 

For Abel's mother the five years of constant racism was heartbreaking and was made more difficult with her being a white mother caring for a mixed race child.

"He was coming home and in the beginning in Year One and saying 'I really wish I had white skin... I don't want this skin colour," said mum Billie.

"I approached the school and I said to them, you know, kids could just maybe be curious.

"They handled it and said that it would be dealt with and then they gave a talk in the classroom about how people were different," she added.

The school advertises itself as having a zero tolerance approach to bullying but for Abel that hasn't been his experience.

"I told the teachers about this," Abel said.

"I've told my mum the teachers don't do anything about it, apparently it's against their policy to expel them.

"We did our assembly and they were singing the song The Time Of Our Lives, and you know what? I didn't sing it, cause it hasn't been the time of my life with all the names being called to me and stuff like that," he added.

The school told ITV News London they couldn't comment on this case at the moment but they did say in a statement: "The matter remains part of an ongoing complaint that has been investigated in accordance with the school's complaint policy."

They added the school has very clear policies with regards to behaviour and condemns all forms of discrimination.

Abel is off to secondary school soon, a place where he hopes things will be different.

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