Barnet police are stepping up patrols in the Hendon area after JFS pupils were assaulted by four boys who burst onto their school bus.

Police said the four attacked a JFS boy while the bus was stationary in traffic on Station Road, Hendon, after school last Wednesday. The teenagers, aged between 15 and 17, are said to have pressed the emergency access button to climb aboard the vehicle.

A pupil was hurt in the ensuing scuffle and others were hurt as they tried to help him. The assailants fled after the bus driver intervened.

Police say the incident "appears to have stemmed from some sort of dispute or argument." They are taking the investigation "extremely seriously. The local Safer Neighbourhoods team will provide extra patrols near where the Hendon schools congregate. The police schools' officers are in touch with the school concerned to ensure that police do all they can to reassure pupils."

Although witnesses were still being sought, a Barnet police spokesman reported that a "very good line of inquiry" was being followed up as a result of information received.