The profoundly deaf 13 year-old from Norfolk, stood while others sat, ran when competitors had stopped and did activities incorrectly because she couldn't hear teachers telling her to stop.

Under Equal Opportunities legislation, all schools have a duty to provide help for children with disabilities.

A special educational needs and disability tribunal - independent bodies set up to ensure pupils have access to proper education - found Colman Middle school, in Norwich, unlawfully discriminated against Laura. She has since left the school.

Laura's mother Karen Park, 35, has called for an overhaul of the county's school facilities for deaf children. She said: "Laura might as well have been lumped in with a load of Russians on sports day. The effect would've been the same - she wouldn't have had any idea what was going on.

"It was excruciating for her. The staff claimed they were giving her independence, but that's equivalent to giving a paraplegic independence by taking away his wheelchair."

Carolyn Sayer, the headteacher, said: "We continually review our practice to ensure we are doing the best for our pupils and welcome the suggestions from the panel about how we can improve the event further."

Read more at the Daily Mail.