'Knife brandished' during fight at Wolverhampton school

Trouble flared at St Edmund's Catholic Academy at around 3.45pm on January 8.

Three boys - all of whom are pupils at the school - are said to have become involved in the fight on school grounds in Compton Road West. During the disturbance one of them is alleged to have produced a small kitchen knife.

It is understood the knife was not used to injure anyone.

The incident has prompted police to issue a warning over the potentially 'catastrophic consequences' of carrying knives in public. School bosses described it as an 'isolated incident' that they are taking 'extremely seriously'.

Wolverhampton Neighbourhood Police Inspector Tracy Meir, said: "Police were alerted to a fight involving three male pupils at St Edmund's Catholic Academy at around 3.45pm on Friday during which witnesses reported seeing a small kitchen knife.

"It's understood the knife was produced by one of the teenagers but not used to injure anyone.

"An investigation is underway and officers are working with academy management to understand exactly what happened."

She added: "No-one was hurt during the incident but possessing a knife in public is an extremely serious offence and can have catastrophic consequences.

"We work closely with our partners across Wolverhampton to get that message across and to prevent and reduce knife crime in the city."

School principal Maggie Hughes said: "This was an isolated incident that took place outside of school hours, which we are taking extremely seriously.

"St Edmunds has an excellent reputation and to my knowledge has never experienced any incidents of this kind before.

"We are working with West Midlands Police to establish exactly what happened. Thankfully no one was hurt, however student safety is our priority at St Edmund's and we operate a very clear and firm policy.

"Any pupil found to have put other pupils in danger face permanent exclusion."

Councillor Craig Collingswood, who represents Park ward, said the incident was 'deeply worrying'.

"Sometimes this type of incident can result in devastating consequences," he said.

"Fortunately the result has not been as serious as it could have been on this occasion, but it is a great concern, particularly when something like this happens on your own doorstep.

"I would hope that the school will take the appropriate action to deal with the issue."

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Wolverhampton Violent Crime Team on 101.