Former students at Santa Sabina College claim the school has a 'history of bullying' after 12-year-old Charlotte O'Brien tragically took her own life

The school attended by a 12-year-old girl up until she tragically took her own life has since received a raft of complaints from former students and parents who claim the college has a 'history of bullying and covering it up'.

Charlotte O'Brien, a Year 7 student at Santa Sabina College at Strathfield in Sydney 's inner-west, took her own life earlier this month after two years of misery where she said classmates had used confidential information to bully her.

Her mother Kelly and her stepdad Mat told Ben Fordham on 2GB on Monday they had been disappointed by the school's response to Charlotte's death.

Mat said the couple were yet to hear directly from Santa Sabina despite the principal Paulina Skerman jumping to defend the school's bullying policy earlier this month.

'Outside of the response from the broader community, I've been disappointed to say the least with the response that's come from the school,' he said.

Fordham on Tuesday revealed he he had received a number of bullying claims from former students at Santa Sabina since covering the story on his show.

'We're not suggesting that this school is any worse than any other schools grappling with this growing problem. But to assist Santa Sabina College, we're going to share the records that we have kept over the last week,' he said.

Fordham noted that the majority of claims had come from students who attended the school before Ms Skerman took over as principal in 2020.

One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told the show that 'like Charlotte, I was bullied to the point where I felt like my life was no longer worth living'.

'My parents and I brought up the issue with the school multiple times, pleading for help, but nothing was ever done,' she continued.

'The school seemed more intent on helping the bullies than the victims. They turned a blind eye to the torment I was facing.

'The worst part of the experience was the overwhelming betrayal. Children like Charlotte and me were failed by the people who were supposed to protect us.

'It takes an incredible amount of courage to reach out and seek help, especially when your drowning in despair. When that cry for help is ignored it makes you feel helpless, as if your suffering is invisible and your pain doesn't matter.'

Another former student, Ellie, said she felt sick to her stomach after hearing the school had an anti-bullying policy in place.

'That's the same response my parents got when I was being bullied at Santa Sabina College, clearly nothing has changed,' she said.

Ex-student Maddie said issues of bullying were 'always swept under the rug'.

'I've been bullied, my closest friends have been bullied, all by students at Santa Sabina. Two years after graduating, to find out they're still not taking bullying seriously angers me to my core.'

A former parent said her daughter was bullied from Year 7 through to Year 10 at Santa Sabina and almost took her own life over it .

She said her daughter, who is in her twenties, is still in therapy because of it.

'What we are doing is not working when a 12-year-old thinks their best option is suicide,' the mother told 2GB.

'This poor girl's suicide has triggered my daughter and our family greatly.'

Another parent said they felt 'helpless' after being told the trust school as the 'expert' in dealing with bullying between students.

'Our daughter also went to Santa and had a few bullying issues to begin with,' another parent told Fordham.

'We helped her get through it and she got past it but the school was absolutely hopeless and no help at all.

'Pass on our sympathies to Charlotte's parents.'

'My friend pulled her daughter out last year,' another listener wrote.

'The stories my friend told me were crazy.'

Another ex-student said the school 'had a history of bullying and covering it up'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Skerman in relation to the new claims.

Ms Skerman earlier this month defended Santa Sabina's handling of bullying, saying their anti-bullying policy was available on their website.

'In the past week, I have been overwhelmed by the number of emails and messages from our families that talk about their children feeling safe and cared for at Santa Sabina College, and objecting to the portrayal of our College as failing to deal with matters that cause distress amongst our students,' she said in a statement.

'Our students and our families are highly informed on the policy and the procedures for reporting and resolving matters of concern, and they clearly demonstrate the College's approach to dealing swiftly and appropriately with any concerns raised.

'At the very heart of who we are as a Catholic Dominican school are the Gospel values of love, compassion and inclusivity.

'To say that there is a culture of bullying at the College goes against the very fabric that holds our community together.

'Every staff member at the school holds the care of your child close to our hearts and this has been reflected in the number of messages I have received from our families.

'We continue to work with our children to educate them on reporting serious matters and developing strategies to manage the complexities that life invariably presents.'