EXCLUSIVE: In footage that some readers may find distressing, Edinburgh schoolchildren are falling victim to horrific assaults.
16:29, 13 Jan 2026Updated 12:45, 14 Jan 2026
The children in the clips attend Firhill High School(Image: )
Edinburgh parents have raised serious concerns over the safety of their children after videos showing horrific abuse circulated online. The clips include kids from Firhill High School in Oxgangs, with one parent telling us they were 'shaken to their core'.
The most recent footage was taken on Friday, January 9. The horrifying clip, apparently filmed in a school bathroom, shows three boys attacking a young pupil who pleads with them to stop, screaming 'help me'.
He is repeatedly kicked, before one of the boys picks him up and slams his head off the sink. Another sickening clip shows a group of boys in a wooded area punching each other, while a terrified boy curled up on the dirt is being repeatedly kicked.
Voices in the footage can be heard repeating: "F***ing stop, that's enough, stop it. Oh my god, stop."
A third clip shows two girls fighting outside, pulling each other's hair and kicking each other. Another clip shows one girl being thrown onto the pavement before being kicked several times.
After Edinburgh Live shared the shocking footage with Edinburgh education chief councillor James Dalgleish he told us he felt 'deeply shocked'. He wanted to reassure parents that he would be 'taking this extremely seriously'.
Dalgleish added: "I can only imagine how the victims and their families must feel."
Edinburgh Live also shared the clips with Colinton and Fairmilehead Conservative councillor Jason Rust, who branded the footage 'very concerning' and vowed to contact the council's education department for a 'full explanation'. He added: "Bullying is completely unacceptable in any form and we cannot tolerate horrific behaviour of this sort."
One parent, who is remaining anonymous for the safety of their child, told us: "I feel there needs to be recognition for the lack of consequences in Firhill High School.
"There have been many fights since my child started high school in August, with videos to go with them and kids getting sent to hospital. My child was sent a video on Friday, and this is one of the worst that happened.
"It shook me to my core as a parent. One of the boys involved has been in many fights, and is still in school the next day.
"In the video you can hear the boy begging, apologising. They repeatedly kick him, steal his shoes and even slam his face off the sink.
"The boy apparently now has a fractured rib and nose. It's frightening and concerning, especially when it feels there are no consequences for their actions.
"There's a clip with a lot of boys in the woods, two of them ended up in hospital with concussions. I really hope we can shed some light on this and push the school to take action towards the feral kids at this school, and help parents feel more at ease sending their kids to school."
Figures released in March last year showed Firhill to be over-subscribed, as is was forecast to have too many pupils and be over capacity by 2026. In 2023, an Edinburgh Live investigation revealed teachers were being 'trolled' by TikTok accounts posting clips taken inside the building.
Multiple accounts mentioning Firhill High School and the Royal High School were reported and subsequently taken down by the social media site after they were found to be of a 'bullying nature'. One account had clips of teachers eating lunch in the cafeteria and pictures sourced from social media with derogatory comments.
Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convener said: “I was deeply shocked when I saw these videos and I want to reassure pupils and parents that I and the Council Leader take this extremely seriously.
"To be absolutely clear, bullying and behaviour of this kind is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. School should be a safe environment where children and young people can learn and thrive, and I can only imagine how the victims and their families must feel.
"I will ensure that they are receiving all the support they need following these awful incidents. Action has been taken by the school’s leadership to address this unacceptable behaviour, and I am fully committed to working closely with the school, education colleagues and Police Scotland to further address this as a matter of urgency."
If you have concerns about the issues raised in this story, you can reach out to lee.dalgetty@reachcplc.com