Two teens arrested over attack on Sheffield pupil as pressure mounts on school

South Yorkshire Police says it has detained two 15-year-old boys following an incident at Hinde House School on Thursday.

They were held on suspicion of assault on two 14-year-old boys and public order offences, before being released on bail pending further enquiries.

One of the victims, Rhys Larkins, is reported to have suffered injuries to his eyes and nose following an altercation with a group of Roma-Slovak pupils.

Since the incident, more than 1,800 people have signed a petition calling on principal Chris French to take action over “the intimidation, violence and gang-like culture that is rife in his school”.

The petition, titled ‘Sort out Hinde House School’, added: “[The principal] must not be afraid of dealing with anyone from this community but treat every incident with equal measure as he would pupils from other backgrounds, not be seen to show more tolerance of bad behaviour from one group over any other.

“It is not good enough to pretend the school is running smoothly when our children are coming home in fear having being intimidated by gangs, or indeed having been assaulted.”

Mr French said in a statement today: “We are continuing to work with South Yorkshire Police and would like to reiterate that we are taking firm and decisive action to resolve any issues.

“Our priority will continue to be the safety, welfare, and education of all children at Hinde House Academy.

“We have now scheduled a series of information and listening sessions for parents and carers of pupils at the school to give people an opportunity to discuss their concerns in an open and informal way.

“We can also confirm that we have received a petition, which we will now be using to inform how we can shape our communications with parents, pupils and the wider school community.”