Shocking attack at Northern Peninsula Area State College caught on video

A student was so badly bashed in a brutal schoolyard attack at a remote Queensland state school that her fellow pupils thought she was dead, her mother says. Warning: Disturbing video

A student was so badly bashed in a brutal schoolyard attack at a remote Queensland state school that her fellow pupils thought she was dead, her mother says.

Disturbing video has emerged of the attack at the senior campus of the Northern Peninsula Area State College in Bamaga.

The hard to watch series of clips shows a fight between two girls which escalated into to a melee.

The 17-year-old girl eventually falls to the ground and blood splatters on the concrete.

Staff members can be seen in the frame but appear powerless to bring the situation under control.

A student at Northern Peninsula Area State College receives medical attention after being injured in a brawl on school grounds. Picture: Supplied

In another clip a 16-year-old girl can be seen cowering on the ground inside a building with her arms covering her head when another student approaches the girl before kicking her in the head.

Last week families were engaged with police and officials from the Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council in an effort to escalate simmering tensions at the small community 1000km north of Cairns.

The grandmother and mother of the two girls injured in the attack, who asked not to be named, is demanding action be taken to stop the violence and bullying.

“The girls were terrified to go to school, they have been beaten up so many times they knew when trouble was brewing,” she said.

“(The school) was told this was going to happen and they did nothing, they have drastically failed to uphold their duty of care.”

The Northern peninsula area local alleged one of the attackers smashed her daughter’s head with a rock held in her fist that caused a gash on her forehead.

“My girl’s ear is all busted,” she said. 

“All the kids are traumatised standing around the ambulance crying, they thought my granddaughter was dead.

“All the parents after seeing the video don’t want to send their kids to school because they feel unsafe.

“They were all walking behind the ambulance like they were walking behind a hearse crying.”

The mother said the family felt supported by Queensland Police Service and the Bamaga senior sergeant had given an undertaking that those responsible would be held to account.

“He assured us commitment from the Queensland Police,” she said.

But the victim’s family felt let down by Education Queensland.

“She is not going back to school, the only thing we ask from them is to help us locate another boarding school,” she said.

The mother of a girl involved cannot be named as her daughter is a potential victim of crime. She had spent sleepless nights worrying about her daughter’s injuries which she indicated could have potentially been much worse.

The brawl began with students of the Northern Peninsula Area State College. Picture: Supplied

“(I’m) angry, worried and heartbroken,” she wrote on social media.

“And (I’m) just overall scared. scared that my (girl) could go to sleep tonight and not wake up from all the hits she took to the head.”

The mother alleged a history of bullying and abuse at the school and since the start of the year she had visited the campus twice a week to demand something be done.

In 2025 her daughter was a senior pupil and the mother claimed great efforts had been made to avoid getting involved in any fighting and some days she refused to go to school to avoid any confrontation.

A student can be seen in the video being kicked in the head while lying on the ground. Picture: Supplied

On the day of the fight the mother said she was talking to her daughter on the phone leading up to the violence and decided to drive into the school after believing the safety and wellbeing of her child was under threat.

In a viral Facebook post the mother levelled allegations against staff at the school who in the video appeared to have a limited ability to keep all students out of harm’s way.

It’s understood the family of the injured girl intend pursuing charges against the students involved in the assault.

The Queensland Police Service maintains a partnership with the Department of Education for security services at schools, and police officers can be involved in incidents that involve potential harm or a crime.

The Queensland Department of Education there was a zero-tolerance policy to violence and allegations of bullying were taken “very seriously”.

“An investigation is underway at Northern Peninsula Area State College and concerns raised by students or families will be responded to appropriately,” a spokesman said.

“Information about individual students cannot be provided for privacy reasons, but support is available for everyone impacted by this incident.”

Follow @petercarruther1

Originally published as Shocking attack at Northern Peninsula Area State College caught on video