AN INVESTIGATION is under way at a Bournemouth secondary school after film of a vicious fight involving teenage schoolgirls was posted on YouTube.

In footage seen on the the video-sharing website – but now removed – Avonbourne pupils could be clearly identified punching, pushing and hair-pulling, with one girl forced to the ground.

Other girls, all dressed in distinctive school uniform, were then seen to join the brawl, which took place near the Harewood Avenue school just before Easter.

Now complaints from the furious parent of one of the girls in the footage have prompted a detailed inquiry at the school and a complaint to the police.

The man claimed his 14-year-old stepdaughter had been the victim of bullies since she started at the school nearly three years ago.

“There have been a lot of problems and she is not the only one being bullied at Avonbourne,” he said.

He claimed repeated requests to school staff for help had fallen on deaf ears.

The stepfather said he had been told that some pupils had now been excluded, including those who posted the clip on YouTube.

The video mentioned the name of another pupil and used a derogatory term to refer to the alleged victim.

“In a way we are pleased it has appeared on YouTube because the school cannot ignore it any more,” said the stepfather.

“You could see the faces of all the girls involved very clearly, so they should be able to deal with the problem.”

He said previous incidents had involved his stepdaughter being knocked unconscious in a school changing room and being pushed downstairs.

Dorset-based education campaigner Margaret Morrissey said YouTube should be more responsible about what it allowed on its sites.

She added: “The pupils could be easily identified so hopefully the school will take some serious action.”

Avonbourne, an all-girls school, has an anti-bullying policy which is highlighted in its prospectus.

A spokesman for the school told the Daily Echo yesterday: “At the moment it is inappropriate for us to comment because we only found out about it this morning. We are carrying out a full investigation.”