Police probe as violent Stafford schoolgirl video viewed 70,000 times
Police are investigating after a video of an attack on a schoolgirl was viewed more than 70,000 times on social media.
The footage shared on Facebook shows a girl in school uniform attacking another female student at Weston Road Academy in Stafford.
One girl can be seen grabbing the other girl's hair and repeatedly hitting her as dozens of other students watch in the background.
Both girls, at least one of whom is aged 13, eventually end up on the ground and the video ends with one girl hitting the other as she sits on top of her.
The student believed to have started the fight has since been excluded, while the video has been viewed by more than 76,000 people, attracted more than 1,000 comments and been shared around 2,000 times.
Headteacher Ann Kingman wrote to parents assuring them that the school is taking the violence 'incredibly seriously', and said the incident is "extremely rare, and not at all reflective of the hundreds of pupils who attend our school."
The school - which is opposite Staffordshire Police headquarters on the corner of Weston Road and Blackheath Lane - has been working with the families of the students involved since the incident happened, Mrs Kingman added.
The headteacher also said that the social media footage had hindered the police investigation of the incident, which happened at the end of the school day last Tuesday.
A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: "We received a call at around 3pm on October 16 reporting that a 13-year-old girl had been assaulted at Weston Road Academy in Stafford.
"Local officers are investigating the incident and liaising with the school.
"If you know anything about this incident, please contact 101 quoting incident number 451 of 16 October."
The full letter to parents said:
Dear Parent/Person with Parental Responsibility,
You may be aware of posts on social media that detail an incident that happened at the school on Tuesday.
I wanted to reassure you that we are taking this incident incredibly seriously. As per the school’s behaviour policy, the student we believe instigated the incident has been excluded from school pending further investigation. We are working with the families of the pupils involved.
The incident was also referred to the police for investigation but the attention on social media has hindered this investigation.
We will not tolerate violent and abusive behaviour in school. We expect the highest behavioural standards from our pupils, and any pupil who falls short of this will be dealt with in the appropriate way as set out by our acceptable behaviour policy.
We have held assemblies, this morning, to remind pupils of their duties if they witness something happening in school. Any pupil who sees something that is not right in school should tell a teacher as soon as possible. We would encourage you to talk to your child and reinforce these messages at home.
The incident that happened this week was extremely rare, and not at all reflective of the hundreds of pupils who attend our school. At our most recent Ofsted inspection in January, it was stated we have a strong culture of safeguarding and care for pupils, and almost all pupils questioned as part of the inspection said they feel safe in school.
I want to reassure all parents, guardians and pupils that we tackle any incident of bullying effectively, and that the safety of pupils in school is our top priority. We will continue to do everything we can to maintain the safety of pupils while they are in school.
Kind Regards, Mrs Anne Kingman Headteacher
