Boy, 14, quizzed in knife row.

Byline: Steve Bradley 

POLICE are today quizzing a 14-year-old boy after he allegedly stabbed a fellow pupil at a Black Country school following a playground argument about football.

Another 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital with knife injuries to his upper thigh after the incident at Blue Coat Church of England Comprehensive School, in Walsall, yesterday afternoon.

Officers sealed off the area, in Birmingham Street, where the stabbing took place just after midday.

The school said the boy taken to hospital had been stabbed in the leg with a pen knife.

Blue Coat's headteacher Ken Yeates, said: "Fortunately, we are talking about what is only a minor injury which followed an isolated incident between two children, apparently sparked by an argument about football. That said, any incident of violence - particularly violence with a weapon - at a school is very serious.

"I'm grateful to our staff, whose professionalism enabled the incident to be contained quickly, for first aid to be given and for the boy with the knife to be arrested.

"This incident is not representative of the generally good standards of behaviour of our students. Our students are proud of the very good relationships between all members of the school community and incidents of this nature are extremely rare. This is the only such incident in my time in the school." The school will not confirm the names of the children involved in this incident nor provide information about the disciplinary process.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "At 12.03pm police received a report of a stabbing at Blue Coat School. A 14-year-old male was taken to hospital with a stab wound to his upper thigh, and a juvenile male is now helping police with their enquiries."