Alicia Blanco-Clements, six, pictured with her mother Aimee, was called 'pirate girl' by a teacher . A six-year-old schoolgirl who has to wear an eye patch due to severe visual problems was left in tears after a teacher called her 'pirate girl' when he couldn't remember her name. Alicia Blanco-Clements was standing in the wrong queue to leave the packed assembly hall at Springfield Primary School in Chelmsford, Essex, when Jona Davies made the comment. Her older sister Olivia, 11, spotted her sister in the wrong place before hearing their deputy head teacher call her 'pirate girl' as he tried to attract her attention in front of the school last Wednesday. She said the ordeal was the talk of the school and that students from different classes were talking about what Mr Davies, 44, had said to her little sister. He allegedly sought out Olivia, a Year 6 pupil, in the playground to explain his actions - but he didn't apologise to Alicia directly. She said: 'My sister was queuing in the wrong place and that’s when Mr Davies called her "pirate girl". He forgot her name and so he was trying to get her attention.' That evening, Olivia explained to her mother Aimee, 30, a midwife at Queen's Hospital in Romford, what had happened. Mrs Blanco-Clements said: 'I was absolutely horrified. Alicia is normally smiling from ear to ear when I pick her up from school but on Wednesday she was really solemn and I could tell she was upset. 'It was only when my other daughter Olivia told me what had happened that I went marching into the school to confront him. 'I couldn't believe that someone with such authority could be so ignorant and insensitive. We spoke but he didn't seem sincere.' Alicia has suffered from an impairment in her left eye since she was two and is also extremely short sighted and is only able to see about a metre in front of her due to the condition termed 'lazy eye'. The patch, which she wears for six hours a day, helps to maintain the 20/20 vision in her right eye. Jona Davies allegedly called the six-year-old 'pirate girl' after forgetting her name and trying to get her attention as she was in the wrong queue after assembly . Specialists at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, have warned the family that if the eye has not improved by the time Alicia is eight-years-old, she will be 'stuck' with that level of vision for the rest of her life. Mrs Blanco-Clements, who also has an 18-month-old son named Teddy, added: 'Alicia is so, so, vulnerable because of her eye patch. It has made her very self conscious and timid anyway. 'So to have that comment said in front of the whole school was the worst thing imaginable. It could make life so much harder for her - she said "mummy, it's made me feel scared and sad". The childhood condition amblyopia, or more commonly known as a 'lazy eye', occurs when the vision in an eye doesn't develop properly. This usually means that the child can see less clearly out of one eye and relies more on the 'good' eye. David Allamby, a leading London-based laser eye surgeon, explained the condition develops when the brain connections responsible for vision are not made properly. 'You need good vision in each eye to develop clear vision,' he said. 'That develops during the first six or seven years of life. The occipital lobe at the back of the brain processes visual imagery and it learns to see by getting clear images from the retina and through the optic nerve. 'That process is learned over time and if anything interrupts that, such as a squint, the eye can't see as well as the other and the brain doesn't get the image it needs to process clear vision. 'The developing will stop at the age of six or seven so an eye patch has to be done before then to stop it being permanent.' He noted that there is a social stigma attached to eye patches and in some cases using eye drops to temporarily impair the vision in the strong eye also works effectively. Dr Susan Blakeney, clinical adviser to the College of Optometrist, added: 'We put a patch on the good eye to force the bad eye to work and improve the vision. 'Having a lazy eye is like having a low megapixel camera - it's not well defined. Eye patches increases the number of 'megapixels'. 'The earlier it's noticed the more effective the treatment can be, so if anyone notices a turn in the eye or the child not paying attention or poor hand eye co-ordination they should make a visit to the opticians. Also, parents who had childhood eye problems should consider taking their children for a test early.' 'I am worried she will now be subjected to bullying because of the comment as the children will have heard what the deputy head teacher said and think it is somehow acceptable to behave like that.' Mrs Blanco-Clements, a mother-of-three, and her HGV driver husband Liam, 29, confronted Mr Davies, who is also a triathlete, at the school later that day and were disappointed by his 'flippant' attitude. She added: 'When I found out what had happened, I went straight to the school to speak to the headmistress. 'She was not available so I actually spoke with Mr Davies - he came into the room and said "I think I know what this is about". 'I said "what on earth do you think you are doing talking like that to a child with a visual impairment, who is scared already, in front of the whole assembly?" 'He said he did not know her name and did not know whether to call her "patch" so instead called her pirate girl. 'I just could not believe I was hearing this from a deputy head teacher. He did apologise, but he said 'there's nothing I can do about it now' which seemed very flippant to me.' But she added that although her husband was fuming with the response, they did not want the father-of-three to lose his job. She added: 'He has a family to think about but he should undergo some kind of awareness training to make him understand his actions. 'We're so protective of Alicia because of everything she's been through. She's already got enough on her plate. 'We went back later that afternoon and had a meeting with the head teacher, but it was too late by then. The wrong message had already been sent out to the children that bullying is okay.' The couple attended the school for a second time, where they were able to speak to headmistress, Sharon Tyler. Mrs Blanco-Clements added: 'Her jaw was on the floor when I told her about what happened as she had not even been told about it. 'She said the school would be reminding Mr Davies of its policies. They sent me a short letter about what happened which, to be honest, is a load of rubbish and says to me that they have not taken the matter seriously.' Sharon Tyler, the school's head teacher, said: 'We accept that what was said was inappropriate and have apologised unreservedly to the pupil and her parents. 'While the comment was not malicious or intended to cause offence, the teacher in question has been reminded of our expectations. 'As a school, we actively promote equality and I can assure all parents this was an isolated incident which will not be repeated.'
Alicia Blanco-Clements was standing in wrong queue at end of assembly . Jona Davies was trying to get her attention when he called her 'pirate girl'
Her older sister Olivia, 11, overheard and told their mother at end of day . Aimee Blanco-Clements and her husband Liam went back to confront him . She said he was 'ignorant and insensitive' and his apology was 'insincere'
Headteacher, Sharon Tyler, has apologised 'unreservedly' for comment . Alicia had impairment since she was two and has to wear patch to help it .