EIGHT men have been arrested after a violent attack on a schoolboy at The Ridgeway School in Wroughton.

A Year 11 pupil, understood to be Henry Webster, was attacked by a group of men on the school tennis courts as he left classes just before 4pm yesterday.

Witnesses said a group pulled up outside the school in a car.

Horrified parents and classmates looked on as the pupil was pinned down and hit on the head up to seven times with a hammer.

He was left lying in a pool of blood until the emergency services arrived and took him to Great Western Hospital with head injuries.

His condition was described last night as comfortable.

Ridgeway headteacher Steve Colledge said: "After school had ended today pupils were on their way home.

"A group of four or five adults not known to the school came on to the tennis courts and attacked one of our year 11 pupils.

"He was admitted to hospital with head injuries, the seriousness of which is as yet unknown."

Mr Colledge was swift to condemn the attackers.

He said: "The incident is shocking to pupils, staff and parents alike and we hope that those responsible will be brought to justice."

A mother of pupils in Year 7 and 11 saw the incident unfold.

She said: "It was terrible, they just marched on to the courts and attacked him.

"My elder daughter was extremely upset and it seems that the teachers are not doing enough to prevent these incidents."

The attack has left many parents afraid to let their children go to school.

A concerned dad, who did not want to be named, said he doubted his children would be going to school today after what had happened.

He said: "Both of my kids saw what happened. They are both traumatised by it. We are shell-shocked. This was a particularly nasty attack.

"This is the third major incident that's happened in six months."

He said security around the school grounds needed to be tighter.

"The security is absolutely appalling," he said. "This is horrendous and it needs to be highlighted.

"We don't expect the police to be there 24/7 but it's time the school spent some money on putting up fencing around the perimeter."

Another mum, who asked not to be named, said she would not be sending her children to school today.

"This is not the first time something like this has happened and something needs to be done," she said.

"I am absolutely petrified about what might have happened.

"I don't want my child in the school but he has his exams to take in May and, apart from getting me into trouble, how is it going to help him in the future?"

She said that parents would be waiting at the school gates this morning to demand a meeting with the headteacher.

"Something needs to be done," she said.

"The last time we were told it was being dealt with and now we are back in the same situation.

"Hopefully this new head will take a different stance."

In May, six teenagers from Ridgeway were taken to hospital after a group of men jumped out of two cars and attacked students, leaving one with a broken jaw.

Police patrolled outside the school in Inverary Road for a week in an effort to soothe the worries of parents and pupils.

Officers dealing with the case at the time refused to comment on speculation that the fight was racially motivated.

Eight men who have been arrested in connection with yesterday's incident are being held at Gablecross police station.

Police conducted door-to-door inquiries in Wroughton last night.