Private school refuses to readmit anorexic pupil because her presence would be 'too disruptive to the rest of the year group,' mother claims

Lottie Twiselton spent a year in hospital while being treated for a serve case of the eating disorder

Lottie Twiselton developed severe anorexia when she was 14. Image posed by model (Getty Images)

A private school refused to allow a pupil treated for anorexia in a hospital for a year to return to class, the girl and her mother have reportedly claimed.

Lottie Twiselton was a student at Northampton High School when she developed severe anorexia at the age of 14. She then spent a year being treated by doctors, but did not return to the school and is now studying elsewhere.

Her mother, Claire Twiselton told The Times newspaper that she was told by the school that Lottie’s presence would be “too disruptive to the rest of the year group”.

However the school said it had been “very keen to support Lottie’s integration” but felt there was a need to wait until she was well enough to return full time.

Lottie said when she was ill and still at the school, she felt like she was treated “like an outsider”.

“It was as if the school wanted me to keep my head down and pretend nothing was wrong,” she said.

“Nobody can understand how important the return to school is when you’re in recovery. My illness got worse and the school need to realise that it very nearly killed me.”

Her mother added: “Without a doubt one of the main reasons Lottie was not allowed back to school was because she was someone who lots of people looked up to. In the head teacher’s eyes, she may well have inspired copycat disorders.”

However, the school’s headteacher, Sarah Dixon, stressed that Lottie had not been excluded.

“The health and wellbeing of our pupils is at the heart of everything we do,” she said.

“The school responded to say that they were very keen to support Lottie’s integration but remained of the view that it would be preferable to wait until Lottie was well enough to return on a full-time basis.”