A girl has been excluded from her Maidstone school after she prodded a classmate in the back with a knife.

The Year 4 pupil at Archbishop Courtenay Primary School was sent home after she poked nine-year-old Molly Heffernan with the blunt utensil.

The youngster, believed to be eight years old, was told not to return for four days.

Molly told her mother, Krystle Arnold, she managed to stop the girl on her first attempt - but the rounded end caught her spine when she tried for a second time.

Miss Arnold, of Upper Stone Street, Maidstone, said: "I have no idea why Molly was attacked. She said hadn't had any problems with the girl.

"The school said there wasn't any marks or blood on Molly and that it wasn't serious, but the fact another child tried to stab my daughter is very serious to me."

Miss Arnold said she kept her daughter off school until Tuesday - five days after the attack - because she was too scared to return and had suffered from nightmares.

The mother-of-one added: "Regardless of whether the knife was blunt or not, it shouldn't have happened and I don't think the punishment was harsh enough."

Head teacher Justine Brown said immediate action was taken after the pupil behaved in a "threatening" way and staff spoke to both girls' parents.

She added: "Threatening, abusive or bullying behaviour will not be tolerated at this school and we responded immediately, excluding the pupil in question for the rest of the week.

"High standards of behaviour are expected at all times and we will be taking this opportunity to reinforce the expectations we have of pupils' behaviour."