A MUSLIM mum who claimed her son suffered racist abuse at the hands of staff and pupils at a Burnham school was this week told by a judge that her allegations were "completely without merit".

On Monday Judge Charles Wade ruled against Aliya Smethurst, who had alleged that her son Mikhail had been subjected to racial taunts at St Christopher's School, where she had worked.

The law firm representing Mrs Smethurst has already told the Weekly News that the wheels are in motion to appeal against the decision.

The 37-year-old claimant originally worked at the £3,500-a-year school's Naish boarding house together with husband Patrick while son Mikhail attended the school between 2000 and 2001.

She was claiming against former head teacher Diane Symes and the trust that ran the school over what she said was racial discrimination, victimisation, harassment and battery.

Mrs Smethurst alleged her son had been punched, kicked and spat by fellow pupils and forced to dress as a black cloud while others wore white during a school play.

She also said he had mud and stones thrown at him, became scared to go to school, and told previous hearings she too had been discriminated against by staff and had been assaulted twice by a cook.

After a long-running legal battle, Judge Wade told Swindon County Court on Monday that the allegations made by the mother-of-three were "completely without merit".

He branded every allegation as false and said there was no evidence her son had been treated less favourably than any of the other children.

Jefferson Horsley, the former chairman of governors at St Christopher's School before it closed in 2003, told the Weekly News he was pleased with the verdict.

"I am very sad that it ever had to take place but I'm obviously delighted from the point of view of the school on the outcome," he said.

"We always felt that it was a caring, loving school and any incidents that were alleged to have taken place were at worst accidents and certainly not in any other motive.

"I don't believe that the school was ever discriminatory and we were proud of our commitment, under Di Symes, to equal rights, fairness and all the other things that are vital."

Mrs Smethurst, who was ordered to pay the school's legal costs, declined to comment. Her lawyer Leena Hurloll said: "We will be appealing. That is the statement."