Mate, i am not sure if you read my post on this a while back...
My youngest was 10 at the time. A great kid who was really popular at school. There is a lot of scumbag parents and feral kids, where i live. Anyhoo one wanker in particular, who used to routinely beat up other kids, decided my daughter was next..... She sent her text messages, msn and blackberry messages that she was going to do this and that to her. I am lucky i have a great relationship with my kids, she told me about it. The little cow attacked my daughter on the way home a few days later, the bully had a dozen or so with her, which could be intimidating at any age.
As i'd already spoken to my daughter previously, she not only retaliated but leathered the little shit all over the show. The next day, my daughter phoned me from the toilets in floods of tears, telling me she had been screamed at by, her teacher, head teacher AND TWO WANKER PCSO's! This post is too long as it is, but the end of the story is: the school's advice to my daughter, if she was being attacked was to cover her head with her arms and repeat "please stop hitting me". Could you imagine witnessing that?
Anyhoo my advice won the day, the bully is so far up my daughters arse since that day, it's unreal.
Stick to your guns pal.
good luck.