A FATHER has withdrawn his two children from school in a row over his son's treatment after he injured his knee.

David Woolley claimed a teacher at Moorhead High School, Accrington, told him they weren't responsible for getting 14-year-old Lee to hospital. But headteacher Andrew Bateman today denied the allegations and said Lee's case was not an emergency.

Mr Woolley has said he will not return Lee and 12-year-old Jennifer to the school until he's sure they can be cared for there. Lee was injured at the Cromwell Avenue school during the lunch hour, but didn't think he was too seriously injured.

Mr Woolley said his son had been chasing a friend who had ducked into a classroom and, not realising Lee was right behind him, slammed the door hitting him on the leg. Lee went to his next class but developed a blood-filled swelling and found at the end of the hour-long class he could hardly walk.

Mr Woolley, of Within Grove, Huncoat, said a teacher then called him at home and asked him to pick Lee up and take him to hospital.

He said: "I said I would meet them at Accrington Victoria Hospital, but they said they couldn't take him because all the teachers were busy teaching. Then they said they couldn't put him in a teacher's car because of the insurance.

"And finally they said, look, he's not our responsiblity, he's yours."

Mr Woolley said he had to call his wife and ask her to come home from work then call a taxi to take them to the school 45 minutes later.

Mr Woolley was furious to see Lee sitting alone in the reception area and then found his knee was so swollen he couldn't get in the taxi. An ambulance was called to take Lee to Blackburn Royal Infirmary and he was discharged later that evening.

He said: "Why couldn't he have been taken across the road to Accrington Victoria immediately? They could at least have given him a painkiller.

"The teachers are there to give him an education, but they are also there for the children's wellbeing."

Headteacher Andrew Bateman denied that the teacher had said Lee was not their responsibility and said the teacher had finally offered to take Lee to hospital, but Mr Woolley had thought the teacher wasn't serious.

He said a first aider checked Lee's leg as soon as he told them he was hurt and decided he needed medical help, but it was not an emergency. He said Lee was sitting within call of several members of staff.

Mr Bateman said: "The lad had caused the problem himself by chasing around and didn't report it. If we had assessed the situation as being an emergency an ambulance would have been called straight away."

He added that casualty staff normally wanted parents present before they treated children.

Mr Bateman said he had arranged to meet Mr Woolley to discuss the issue.