TWENTY-FIVE pupils were injured at a high school after being caught in a crush in the corridor, it was revealed yesterday.

The incident, which resulted in some pupils being taken to hospital, happened at Denny High School in Stirlingshire.

It started when a first year pupil lost her shoe as she made her way back to class after morning interval.

When she bent down in the corridor outside the school library to pick it up she was overtaken by a mass of pupils.

Teachers called paramedics and the library was used to treat those who had been injured.

One senior pupil said, “The corridor was really busy, and people just kept walking and they started to pile up.

“It was just a horrible accident but I think the worst thing was the shock.

“We were helping the people who had been injured, and at one point it was like the scene in The Wizard Of Oz when the witch is trapped underneath the house.”

Head teacher Stephen Miller said yesterday that the incident, which occurred at 11.05am on Tuesday, resulted in three pupils attending hospital and five being unable to return to classes until next week.

Mr Miller said, “In the main, the injuries were soft tissue damage, ankle sprains, dizziness and sore heads. Thankfully 20 pupils were well enough to return to school.

“The corridors were supervised by both staff and senior pupils, as usual, and they were on hand to give immediate assistance.

“All injured pupils were assessed by either a paramedic or a doctor who attended.

“Parents and carers were then notified and the majority of pupils were taken home as a result. A few were advised to attend hospital to check the extent of bruises and sprains.

Denny High School has 1250 pupils, from a catchment area which includes Denny, Dunipace, Dennyloanhead, Bonnybridge, Allandale, Haggs and Bankknock.

A Falkirk Council spokesman said, “The incident seems to have been a freak accident. Two paramedics and a doctor attended the incident and pupils were treated, but none was seriously injured.

“The parents of all 25 pupils who were injured were called.

“Parents attended and the children were all taken from school for the rest of the day.

“Some pupils attended hospital and five pupils were unable to return to the school the following day.

“Due to mid-term break, those pupils will not return to school until Tuesday next week, but senior management will be in touch with them to see how they are.

“Obviously after an incident like this we would look at what we are currently doing and try to improve it, but the corridors had teachers and senior pupils on them.”

A ROSPA spokesman said, “This was a significant incident in which children were injured.

“It is a timely reminder that a culture of safe thinking and safe behaviour in schools should be encouraged and subject to regular reminders.

“Young people in particular can be overcome with the excitement of the moment and the consequences of such an event as this arising can be disproportionate to what started it.

“We anticipate that the school will look into the circumstances of this, to see whether any lessons can be learned to prevent such an incident happening in future, and we will be very interested to find out the outcome.”

Mr Miller said the school was investigating, but it appeared to have been an “innocent accident.”