Diver Tom Daley is taken out of school after bullying

The parents of Tom Daley, the 14-year-old diver who caused huge excitement at the Beijing Olympics last summer but then disappointed his fans when he finished only 7th in the 10m platform event, have taken the boy out of his Devon school to prevent him from further bullying. The last straw was an older boy allegedly cornering the young Olympian and saying: "How much are those legs worth? We're going to break your legs."

Rob Daley told the Times that he has kept Tom away from Eggbuckland Community College in Plymouth this week. If the bullying doesn't stop, he plans to move him to a new school.

Daley Snr, 38, was worried his tormentors would affect his performance in an upcoming diving competition in Florida. "He has been tackled to the floor walking through the school field and in class they throw pens and pencils at him," he said. "Some have even threatened to break his legs. That was the last straw.

"It's gone way beyond mickey-taking; he has the whole school on his back and he knows that if he retaliates he will be all over the papers. It's just jealousy - it can't be anything else."

Tom Daley said: "I ignored the 'diver boy' or 'Speedo boy' comments when I came back from Beijing last year, hoping they would get fed up and stop. The trouble is they haven't, and it's even the younger kids who are joining in."

He added: "I have fans outside school, but in school, it's the opposite - they all hate me."

College principal Katrina Borowski admitted to the Times that Tom's "extremely high profile" had led to a number of "immature" students being disciplined.

British Swimming, the governing body for diving, has offered to provide Tom with a psychologist and lifestyle coach when he gets back from Florida, as he prepares for the long run-in to the 2012 London Olympics. ·