POLICE were called to Downland special school in Devizes twice in the past fortnight after the pre-Christmas activities caused some pupils to get too excited.

Last Tuesday they were called after one pupil grabbed a 13-year-old boy by the collar and punched him in the face. The same boy is alleged to have kicked a glass door until one of the panes broke.

The previous week, police came to the residential school after reports that a jug of milk had been contaminated by having a capsule of bath oil squeezed into it. The alleged offenders were seen laughing and giggling at the chaos they had caused.

But both of these incidents have been logged as crimes by Devizes police because of the new reporting regulations brought in by the Home Office earlier this year.

Sgt Andy Peach said: "We took no action but left it to the school."

No one from the school was available for comment.

The 55-pupil school sets itself the target of making the pupils, who have often been excluded from other schools, achieve some kind of qualification. It works towards improving the self-control and discipline of each pupil, raising their self-esteem and empowering them with skills, techniques and confidence.