The father of a teenage boy brutally beaten during break time at school has claimed teachers “failed to protect” his son.

The 14-year-old boy was in the playground at Caterham High School, in Caterham Avenue, Clayhall when he was attacked by four others following a dispute on June 25.

His father, Amir (not his real name), said: “They strangled him by his tie, crushed his knees, kicked him in his face and jumped on his head until he fell unconscious.

“They were like a pack of savage animals tearing chunks out of him.”

The beating continued until a passing caretaker intervened after seeing the commotion.

He was kept overnight at Queen’s Hospital, in Romford, to monitor his head injuries.

Amir said: “He had a black eye and bruising on his face, head, shoulders, arms, back – everywhere.

“He was walking with a crutch because his legs were so painful.”

The boy’s sister, who is also a pupil at Caterham High, witnessed the horrific attack on her brother.

Amir said: “She saw the whole thing but there was a group around him and she was powerless to stop it – she’s traumatised.”

He believes the attack could have been prevented or stopped more quickly by staff.

“The school failed to protect my son,” he said.

“Nobody wants their child to go through this and I feel so powerless on every level.”

Amir wants his son’s attackers to be dealt with using the full force of the law but although police said they were investigating the assault, no arrests have been made.

A Redbridge Council spokesman said all four boys involved have been permanently excluded from the school.

He added: “Teachers have contacted the family of the victim on several occasions offering reassurance that there would be counselling and support for the victim.

“The school expects high standards of behaviour and sustains this through educating students in its expectations, applying consistently its code of conduct and dealing with incidents through the sanctions available to them.”

The boy has now returned to school and his parents say he is “recovering well”.