POLICE were called to the same school twice in less than 24 hours after a serious assault and reports of a knife.

A student was badly beaten up outside the Patcham High School gates by a group, none of whom are believed to be pupils there.

The following day three students who had been excluded were found on the site on Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, and refused to leave.

Police have confirmed it is thought one of the teenagers had a knife but when officers arrived no weapon was found.

Headteacher John Mckee sent a message to parents and carers after the attack.

He said: “One of our students was attacked by a group of teenagers (not from our school) as he left our site.

“You will be pleased to know that despite suffering some bad bruising and minor cuts, the student has shown fantastic resilience and is back in school today.

“Students at Patcham and members of our local community responded in a mature and responsible manner and this included students acting to defend the young person under attack.

“The response by students was a reflection of the values of care and support for each other that are so important to us at Patcham High and I am very proud of them.

“The police were called and an investigation is in place to identify and call to account the perpetrators of this incident.

“To ensure the safety of our students we requested that the police were present at the front and back of school this afternoon.

“Safety and welfare of students is at the forefront of all that we do.”

Police confirmed they were called to the first incident at around 3pm last Thursday and that the victim suffered minor injuries.

They are asking witnesses to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk quoting reference 899 of 09/03. They were called back at around 1.20pm last Friday. One of the pupils was arrested to prevent breach of the peace but was later released without charge.

The other two were taken to Brighton Police station and later released. Enquiries are ongoing.