Amber Peat 'punished' by step dad inquest told

The inquest at Nottingham coroners court started its second week this morning.

Amber Peat told 'what goes on in this house stays in this house'.

Lindsay Bland, a teacher at Queen Elizabeth's Academy, in Mansfield gave evidence.

Amber had started at the school in July 2014, which was quite unusually late in the school year.

At the admission meeting with Amber and her mother, Kelly Peat. She said Amber had been chatty quite excited and very positive.

Amber had a close circle of friends.

There had been falling outs but no evidence of bullying.

Coroner raps council in Amber Peat inquest

Her form tutor Rebecca Beard said Amber was a lovely bubbly little girl, who sometimes got herself into trouble with low level disruption and attention seeking behaviour in class.

She had been involved in a fight with another girl in October 2014 and had to be pulled away.

Two months before she died Amber had come into the tutor group sobbing and devastated.

She said her stepfather had been punishing her all weekend for being naughty. He had woke her up at 11.30pm to complete jobs .

She had to clean the floor for an hour and did not get to sleep until 1.30 am.

"She was really upset and embarrassed for saying it."

Another time she had been made to come to school wearing baggy jogging bottoms by her step father as punishment for forgetting to put her trousers in the wash even though she had another clean pair.

"She was devastated, the other children thought she had wet herself."

On another occasion she had been made to bring her school books in a carrier bag as punishment.

"She had lost weight , you could see her ribs when she pulled her trousers up.

"She had outgrown her trousers but the waist was too big."

Amber was always hungry despite attending the school breakfast club.

She said "I was concerned she was being emotionally abused by her step father.

"I reported it to the school safeguarding team. I was hoping that a referral would be made to social services.

"The referral was rejected. We were asked to keep a note of anything we considered a concern or change.

"I know proving emotional abuse is difficult.

"I was worried and upset . I felt powerless. You feel almost let down by the system."

Amber's key worker Helen Chapman told the inquest Amber confided that she had a "big secret". Her stepfather was in jail.

The inquest heard he had been sentenced to 18 months for attempting to defraud HMRC.