The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
‘Play fighting’ put pair of Perth High School pupils in hospital.
Latest in a long line of disturbing incidents at city secondary
Two Perth High School pupils had to be taken to hospital after altercations with fellow students.
They were injured after being placed into “headlocks” on the school premises amidst a deeply concerning pattern of disruption and incidents.
One pupil has been excluded following what school authorities have termed “play fighting”. Warnings about violent behaviour have been sent to parents.
The revelations come soon after a police investigation into stabbing threats and the confiscation of a weapon.
The school has also had to deal with a deliberately started fire that caused an estimated £20,000 worth of damage to its gym hall.
And there has been repeated disruption of classes by maliciously-sounded fire alarms, requiring prefects to guard alarm activation points during breaks.
Mid Scotland and Fife Conservative MSP Liz Smith said: “These are seriously concerning incidents and parents will rightfully be worried about the safety of their children at school.
“The presence of weapons inside school grounds can have deadly consequences and more needs to be done to ensure that lessons are learned
These are seriously concerning incidents and parents will rightfully be worried about the safety of their children at school. LIZ SMITH MSP
from the tragic death of Bailey Gywnne in Aberdeen.”
Details of the fights and subsequent hospital visits were revealed to parents in an email from deputy head teacher Tom Jamieson.
The message began with details of the school’s “Big Soup Challenge” and Macmillan coffee morning before going on to discuss more concerning matters.
He said there had been a “series” of incidents at the school that required to be shared with parents.
“We have had a series of incidents with pupils putting others in a headlock,” Mr Jamieson said in his communication.
“This resulted in two pupils being injured and sent to hospital and has also led to an expulsion.
“Pupils must not grab each other around the neck or be physically rough with each other, even in what is being described as ‘play fighting’.”
In an official statement on the latest incidents, Perth and Kinross Council said: “The bulletin issued today covers a range of topics for pupil and parent/ carer awareness including a reminder that aggressive behaviour is neither welcome nor encouraged.”
In the wake of the fire alarm chaos and police investigation into threats of a stabbing, head teacher Thirza Pupillo wrote to parents to reassure them of the thoroughness of the school’s response to incidents.
She stressed the school worked closely with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland and thanked parents for their support.
The council has declined a number of requests to interview Perth High’s head teacher.