Grant McMillan the principal of James Cook High School said the student was badly hurt after the assault on Monday morning.

The bullies that assaulted and badly injured a south Auckland high school student will most likely be suspended.

A 16-year-old boy was rushed to Middlemore Hospital after he was tripped and punched during interval at James Cook High School in Manurewa.

Do you know more? Email us at newstips@stuff.co.nz

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF A teenager was rushed to hospital after an assault at James Cook High School in Manurewa.

Police and ambulance arrived around 11.30am on Monday.

Principal Grant McMillan said the teen was foot-tripped and punched once by two or three other students, before falling over and hitting his head on the ground.

READ MORE:

* ERO report suggests south Auckland school needs 'external intervention'

* Students on how they were bullied, and how they overcame the struggle

"Those students who have caused this will be held fully responsible within our school's disciple system."



He said the bullies would most likely be suspended from school, and then brought before the school's Board of Trustees for them to decide on what conditions, if at all, the students return to school.

"Because it was a bullying incident the police also attended," McMillan said.

St John said the teen was initially assessed and deemed to be in a critical, or life threatening condition, but after medical intervention was down-graded to serious condition.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF Police at the scene are making inquiries about the assault.

The principal said it appeared to be a "genuine falling out" between the students.

"Our priority was to look after the victim first, one of my nurses went to hospital with him and when she left he was sitting up."

McMillan said police had spoken to students and staff who witnessed the assault.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF A police officer at James Cook High School where a teenager has been assaulted.

"Bullying is something we don't accept and we've done a lot of work over the recent weeks."

A school assembly was held and McMillan reminded the students of the school's values.

"Naturally I'm disappointed," he said.

JARRED WILLIAMSON/STUFF Seven police cars could be seen at James Cook High School.

A parent of another student said the south Auckland school no longer felt safe.

The father said there had been a number of fights at the school and people had even walked past the school with guns.

A Counties Manukau DHB spokeswoman said around 1pm that the patient was stable and released after 5pm.

Several police cars were parked outside the main car park of the high school.

It appeared to be business as usual for most of the school and students could be seen continuing to sit in class.

There were a handful of others walking between buildings. There were also classes running in the school's gym.

CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF James Cook High School parent Michael Masters said school should be a safe place.

One father rushed to the school after his wife had called him to tell him about the assault.

Their 14-year-old daughter had been at James Cook High School since she began at secondary school.

Since that time there had been a number of fights on school grounds and outside the school, he said.

"It's not safe here," he said.

"Last year there were people walking past the school with guns."

The man told Stuff he wasn't sure if the school staff had much control of the school culture.

Michael Masters came to the school to get his daughter from school but he was told she was not allowed to leave.

Masters said staff told him the children would be able to be released at 2pm.

"If it is going to be this bad then I may take my daughter out of this school," he said.

"School should be a safe place."

JAMES COOK HIGH SCHOOL'S TROUBLED HISTORY

One year ago, the school received a critical report from the Education Review Office.

The ERO said the school's board needed to look at matters of staff, welfare and finance, though it concluded the school was on the path to improvement under McMillan's rule.

At the time McMillan said his focus included increasing attendance, growing student leadership, strengthening discipline and improving the quality of teaching environments.

In May, head of guidance and wellbeing at the school, Catherine Hawke, spoke about bullying saying she had to deal with such issues every day.

When she started working at the Manurewa school two years ago, she said she was at first "surprised at how unkind people were to each other".

But she then realised that "a lot of the young people come from distressed families".

The Ministry of Education posted an officer into the school in June 2017 to support them to resolve internal problems.

"The majority of schools operate successfully, but a small number develop difficulties or have unanticipated events that they cannot resolve without outside help," explained the ministry's Katrina Casey.

"We always work with schools to support them to resolve problems themselves, and only intervene as a last resort."

The "limited statutory manager" had powers in employment, curriculum, finance and health and safety.

"In addition, we have been supporting the school to improve student outcomes, which includes resourcing a mentoring programme and strengthening student pathways from school on to tertiary and employment."

The school was also involved in a specialist police project targeting south Auckland schools.

It had officers working with James Cook and 12 other south Auckland schools regarded as being high risk for student safety.

Six officers had been assigned to the 13 high schools in 2009 in the Cops in Schools programme.

It was credited with strengthening relationships between police and local communities and suppressing youth gangs.

But in 2017 the officers were removed from the schools and diverted to more general Youth Aid duties.

On Monday, McMillan said the programme the school had replaced it with was working well with local police stations.