When children struggle at school, deciding what action to take can be a hard decision for parents.
Whether they're unable to keep up with class work or are falling victim to bullying, there's rarely an easy solution.
But
that wasn't the case for Lee Cooke, who pulled his nine-year-old son
out of school after he said he was targeted by his classmates for more
than two years.
The
real estate manager, from Wolverhampton, West Midlands, chose to 'home
school' his son - who suffers from dyslexia - from his work office, to
instead teach him the tricks of the business world.
Budding businessman: Lee Cooke chose to take his son out of school because he was being relentlessly bullied
The proud father posted an adorable photo of his son on his first day at his new 'school' which has gone viral.
Beginning
life as a trainee businessman, the youngster looked very smart in a
shirt and tie as he answered phones at a desk, under the guidance of his
dad.
'Today is the first day of my nine-year-old's new life,' Mr Cooke wrote in a post alongside the photo.
'After
being bullied for nearly two years at school in Wolverhampton, I have
removed him due to the lack of protection, support and complete corrupt
back turned brush under the carpet attitude within the senior members of
the school.'
Life changer: 'Today is the first day of my 9 year olds new life,' Mr Cooke posted with the photo
Future professional: This photo taken
more than a year ago shows Mr Cooke's young son getting his first
on-the-job experience, looking very smart in a shirt, tie and vest
While
he will eventually cover all essential business topics, day one's basic
lessons included maths, computer technology and telephone manners.
For Mr Cooke, the best news was that his son was again enjoying his learning.
'Today we learned maths, ICT and telephone manners,' he said.
'Today my boy smiled and laughed, and so did I.'
Like father, like son: Mr Cooke (left) let his young son share his desk at the real estate agency in Wolverhampton
Junior boss: The nine-year-old is following in his dad's footsteps by working the phones and the computer
The
father turned teacher said being removed from what what they felt was a
toxic school environment provided his son with a platform to grow and
develop, and urged other parents to never accept bullying.
'I
hope he shows those bullies and the negative blinded teachers that
because you have dyslexia it doesn't mean you deserve to be picked on
and ignored by those teachers that are meant to protect you!' Mr Cooke
said.
'Never accept bullying stand up and defend yourself today.'