Is he the villain or the victim? That's the argument raging between the parents of a nine-year-old boy and staff at his school.

For the fourth time in six months, Peter Smith has been excluded by Weeke Primary School, Winchester, for fighting - and this time it's permanent.

Parents, Ian and Linda Smith, say his behaviour is a result of bullying and they feel the school is doing nothing to protect him.

Said Mr Smith, a civil servant with the MoD at Worthy Down: "We've been asking the school about the bullying and we seem to be hitting a brick wall every time. Peter's now set in his ways because of what's happening to him. It's going to take him a long time to get back on track."

The incident that resulted in Peter's exclusion happened during a dinner break on Thursday, March 27th.

His parents say the school told them that Peter had chased and attacked another pupil with two sticks - but Peter says the other boy had punched him in the stomach.

Peter is the youngest of four brothers. Robert (15) and Ashley (13) attended Weeke Primary and now go to Henry Beaufort School while 11-year-old Nicholas is still at Weeke Primary.

The family home in Acorn Close backs onto the primary school's playing fields and, since Peter's exclusion, a set of orange cones have appeared in the field beside their house. Mr Smithbelieves the cones are part of a symbolic barrier to stop other pupils meeting with his son.

"It makes me feel as though my children are lepers because nobody is allowed near them," he said.

Mrs Smith formerly worked as a dinner lady at the school.

Peter said he wanted to return to school, although he would like to change classes.

Asked if the teachers had taken his claims of being bullied seriously, he replied: "No, they just say 'keep away from the bullies'."

Head teacher, Maggie Hastie, excluded Peter on a permanent basis last Friday and the board of governors has until Friday, May 2nd, to ratify her decision: a spokesman for the county council said the school could not comment on the matter until then.

If Peter is not allowed to return to the school, his parents would be entitled to appeal to the education authority.