Three boys excluded from Pukekohe High School following an assault on another student will not be returning, the principal says.
The incident earlier in November involving the boys aged under 16 is the subject of a police inquiry.
Principal Ian McKinnon says the assault, which he says began as a joke between the boys who were friends, went horribly wrong.
The incident is said to have occurred during lunchtime when the boys reportedly held the victim down and assaulted him while other students watched.
Mr McKinnon says the victim was physically unharmed, but the nature of the assault is one of gross misconduct.
He says the incident was brought to his attention when he was contacted by the boy's parents, and the boy has yet to return to school.
