A school at the centre of a happyslapping row has come under fire again.

The Argus revealed last week how a gang of youngsters filmed a 15-year-old boy as his arm was broken during a playground attack at Patcham High School.

Two teenagers have been arrested and questioned by police over the incident but released on bail.

Now police are investigating a second attack outside the gates of the school in which a 16-year-old girl was beaten up.

Paramedics were called to the school, in Ladies Mile Road, Brighton, on Wednesday lunchtime after two Year 11 girls were involved in a fight.

One girl is believed to have punched a 16-year-old pupil and pulled clumps of her hair out. Officers have recovered the hair to use as evidence. A friend of the victim's family said they believed the incident had been filmed on mobile phones.

Parents yesterday criticised Patcham High headteacher Paula Sargent after she branded last week's happy-slapping assault an "isolated incident".

One woman, who refused to be named in case it led to her son being targeted, said the situation at the school was out of control. Her son's jaw was broken when he was assaulted by a group of fellow pupils as he walked home with two friends on January 16.

The woman said: "I'm so angry. I don't know what is going on at that school.

There seems to be a lot of fighting between different groups of students."

Inspector Steve Curry, of Sussex Police, said: "We have a problem with people coming off-campus at a number of schools, Patcham included.

"I feel it is very hard for the teachers at Patcham, or any other school, to enforce any control or supervise what happens outside school grounds.

"Parents need to be aware of school rules and use parental influence to ensure pupils meet those requirements."

Headteacher Paula Sargent said: "This is no more of a problem here than at any other school in the city.

"We have had more incidents over a short period of time, which happens on occasion. All schools have incidents which spiral on from one another. We can also go weeks and weeks with nothing going on - look at the autumn term record.

"We have been doing mediation within school, we have involved the police and taken advice on what legally we are allowed to do.

"We have taken firm action against the perpetrators which is evidenced by the fact that two students are no longer here as a result of the incident in which the boy had his jaw broken.

"We hold assemblies, we do lots and lots of reinforcing the message that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. But I also think parents have to take some responsibility for their children's behaviour."

  • Have you or any of your family been a victim of happy slapping? Email The Argus at news@theargus.co.uk or call 01273 544514.