STAFF at Huntington School, York, are absolutely right to unite against the thugs who attacked two cleaners.

After being asked to leave the school grounds, a pair of youths knocked the men to the ground, punching and kicking them.

It was a cowardly and vicious assault which left their victims needing hospital treatment. They will have to live with the emotional trauma of this attack long after their physical scars have healed.

It is imperative that the culprits are caught and punished for their abhorrent behaviour.

Another boy holds the key to the case. He was there. He knows the youths concerned. But he is refusing to tell anyone their names.

Huntington's teachers took the unanimous decision not to teach the boy until he identifies the guilty parties. It is a stand which has our support and, hopefully, the support of everyone in the Huntington community.

The boy concerned may well be confused and scared. But he must be made to understand the seriousness of the situation.

He is a witness to a violent crime. Any loyalty to the attackers, or to the schoolyard code not to "grass", is misplaced.

At 15 the boy is old enough to realise he has a moral obligation to tell what he knows to the authorities. In return, the authorities must give their assurance that they will do everything they can to protect him from reprisals.

The school's refusal to have him back until he co-operates sends out a properly unambiguous message to other pupils. Thugs will not be tolerated, and neither will those who shield them.

Updated: 10:07 Thursday, January 19, 2006