POLICE were called to a Blackburn high school after reports of 'racial fighting' between pupils belonging to rival gangs.

Eleven students at Blakewater College, which opened inside the old Queen's Park Technology College building in April, were involved in the brawl, police said.

It broke out as the lunch break came to an end yesterday.

Teachers intervened and split the brawl up, segregating those involved into two classrooms.

Police said they were called after teachers feared 'the situation was getting out of hand'.

The school's deputy head teacher Debbie Ball did request the police to return at the end of the school day to ensure there were no further problems.

Miss Ball described the incident as a 'minor kerfuffle' and said it was 'being dealt with internally'.

At around 3.15pm, just before closing time, an unmarked police car arrived and four officers stood outside the school.

The atmosphere outside the school appeared relaxed and pupils left the school grounds as normal with no further trouble being reported.

Parents said they believed 'several' bystander pupils were injured, including a teenage girl who suffered a cut ear and was sent home after her parents were contacted by police.

Her parents were understood to be speaking police today to make a complaint and insisted their daughter would not be returning to the school.

A police spokesman said: "We were called at 1.50pm to reports of racial fighting at the school between 11 pupils from two rival gangs.

"Staff were trying to split them into different rooms but called the police because they said it was getting out of hand.

"Shortly after we were told that there had been no offences and that it would be dealt with in-house.

"However, the school asked that we provide a police presence at the end of the day to in case there were further problems."

Blakewater College replaced Queen's Park Technology College this year after the latter was placed in special measures by Government inspectors when it achieved some of the worst GCSE results in the country.

Inspectors slammed discipline at the school, and in a follow-up report later claimed the decision to close the school had only served to make pupil behaviour even worse.

A month later, in March 2004, a 16-year-old suffered bruising after a playground fight involving 40 pupils. Police were called to break it up.

After the decision to close the school was taken, council bosses asked for police to attend when children were told because they were not sure how the pupils would react.

One parent said today: "Nothing's changed, and we think something will boil over one day.

"Someone needs to get a grip of what is going on there, because our children don't feel safe.

"Some of the things I hear are happening disgust me."

But Miss Ball said: "It was a minor kerfuffle which is being dealt with internally."

The school's £85,000-a-year superhead, Lee Harris, was not in school at the time.

The incident comes just two months after police announced their first full-time officer to be based in a school would work from Blakewater.

In a statement issued by Blackburn with Darwen Council, Councillor Dave Hollings, executive member for education and lifelong learning, said: "There was a minor incident at the school. It is not being investigated by the police and the school will deal with the matter in the normal way."

Lesley Ham, Lancashire branch secretary for the NASUWT said: "We have known that Blakewater has been out of control for some time now so this comes as no surprise.

"We have asked about reports of problems with Blakewater and all the council say is that the school is 'wonderful'. Maybe now they will start telling us the truth.

"Blakewater is no different now to how it was when it was at its very worst as Queen's Park and even then we never had any issues with race riots or police on site.

"When they closed Queen's Park it was a slap in the face for staff and there weren't the problems that there are now.

"Something needs to be done as this school is on a downward spiral. The first step is for our education bosses to tell us the truth."

oA teacher was taken to hospital by ambulance shortly after the disturbance at the school. It is not thought it was connected with the trouble.