Three boys aged 14, 13 and 11 arrested on suspicion of GBH after 'assault' at Rainhill High

Shortly after 2.40pm it was reported a 14-year-old boy had suffered a suspected stab wound on a netball court in the grounds of the school.

The attackers, described as two boys who are not pupils at the school, made off from the scene on foot.

Emergency services attended and the victim is being treated for "a cut to the leg which is described as superficial".

Police have arrested boys aged 14, 13 and 11 on suspicion of Section 18 assault (grievous bodily harm with intent) and taken them into custody to be interviewed.

The school confirmed it was put on "lockdown" while police handled the incident.

Worried parents gathered outside the school's locked gates as news of the disturbing incident circulated on social media.

In a statement the school said: "There has been an incident at school this afternoon.

"As a precautionary measure we put the school into lockdown and worked in partnership with the police to address the situation.

"We are pleased to report that the situation has now been resolved and all pupils have left site safely, with all pupils that normally travel by bus being able to do so.

We apologise for any inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

"As always, we put the safety of our students and staff first. We are proud of how our student body reacted today and commend their excellent behaviour.

"Please be reassured that the school will be open as normal tomorrow."

Police outside the school

Speaking to the Star outside the school worried parents said there had been a sense of panic.

Mum-of-two from Rainhill said: "When I saw the posts online I was really worried for my lads so I ran here.

"They were scared being on lockdown but we only know that there are rumours of a stabbing. Thank god they are out now."

A dad-of-three added: “You don’t expect something like this to happen. Kids were terrified being on lockdown. It’s terrifying this.”

In a statement, Superintendent Tami Garvey-Jones, who heads the police in St Helens, said: "I am sure the community will be shocked to hear that a school pupil has been assaulted in this way on school premises.

Superintendent Tami Garvey-Jones

"We are currently in the very early stages of the investigation and have officers in the area working to establish the full circumstances, and have already made three arrests.

"We will keep high visibility patrols in the area for the foreseeable future – if you know anything about what happened, please approach an officer, message us on Twitter @MerPolCC or call 101 or Cirmestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Supt Garvey-Jones added: "I would like to emphasise that knife crime will not be tolerated under any circumstances anywhere on the streets of Merseyside, let along inside the grounds of a school.

"We understand the concern that the issue of knife crime causes, let alone when young people are found to have brought weapons into places of education. While it is not something we can eradicate on our own or overnight, there is a lot of hard work, time and resources being put into tackling it.

"We work very closely with schools, including Rainhill High School, where a designated schools officer regularly visits to educate young people on a range of issues including knife crime.

"Police and partners are working together as the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP) to tackle the causes of knife crime, and are working closely with schools across Merseyside to educate young people and raise awareness about knife crime and its consequences.

"Our force-wide Operation Target is bringing in extra dedicated staff, additional resources and equipment and targeted intelligence to tackle serious violence head-on and make our streets safer, resulting in weapons being seized, warrants carried out and arrests made.

"While we are investing significant resources into the issue, everyone has a part to play to make sure our young people are steered away from the dangers of carrying weapons before it is too late.

"I want to take this opportunity to appeal directly to parents and guardians: We don’t want to be knocking on your door to tell you your child has been arrested for injuring another child or even that they themselves have been injured or killed as a result. Talk to your children about knife crime, educate them on the dangers and help us to make it socially unacceptable for anyone to carry a knife when they go out.

"I ask anyone who may have witnessed this incident to please get in touch as any information, no matter how small, could assist our investigation.”

If you know someone is carrying a knife then speak to us via 999 in an emergency, or @MerPolCC or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.