Severe and prolonged bullying sparked the schoolgirl stabbing which has left a 14-year-old recovering in hospital, it was revealed yesterday.

But CedarBridge Academy principal Ernest Payette last night dismissed allegations that students at his school were at the mercy of bullies.

And not a single parent concerned about their child's safety had contacted him since the stabbing, he said.

"That's because the parents know we are doing everything we can to work with the children to generate the best possible future for each of them,'' he said.

He said bullying was not tolerated and students had built a warm, positive atmosphere despite negative public myths about the school.

The latest incident follows another last year when a boy, 15, was knifed while trying to protect a special student who was being taunted.

On Wednesday, Police were called to the Pembroke campus and the bleeding victim was taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital where she remained last night recovering from surgery.

An independent source said yesterday the tormenting began before the girls started at the school, and escalated without teachers' knowledge.

He said the alleged assailant was the target of the cruel treatment.

It seemed that after many months of menacing the normally well-behaved student lashed out and retaliated.

Principal Mr. Payette said last night that students could face criminal charges and possibly even expulsion.

But he said bullying was no worse at CedarBridge than at other schools.

"There are always bullies within large, young populations. Not that we accept or excuse it.

"We certainly do not want to glorify any kind of incident that occurred or get into knee-jerk reactions. We're trying to provide students with a set of skills to deal with problems.

"We're using what happened on Wednesday to highlight the damage some behaviour can do to your life.'' Police had not yet decided whether the alleged assailant would face criminal charges but the school's punishment could involve a suspension of up to 50 days or even an outright expulsion, he said.

Bullying "Make no mistake this behaviour is not tolerable and there will be severe consequences.'' CedarBridge PTA president Patricia Basden described the assault as "unfortunate''.

Mrs. Basden said the PTA executive believed the majority of students were successfully using peer mediation and the student government to resolve conflicts.

Ernest Payette Graphic file name: PAYYE CRIME CRM