Police are investigating after a teacher allegedly shot a pupil in the face with a starting pistol.

The child was taken to hospital following the incident in St Clement on the Channel Island of Jersey.

A male teacher has been suspended while officers quiz staff and witnesses at Le Rocquier School, a mixed secondary school for youngsters aged 11 to 16.

Back bench politician Deputy Trevor Pitman said anxious parents deserved to know exactly what had happened.

He said: ‘For a teacher to fire a starting pistol in a child’s face, something must have gone seriously wrong.

The victim’s name and age have not been revealed but it is understood he was in his mid-teens.

States of Jersey police said officers were working with the alleged victim, the pupil’s family, other children and teachers to find out what happened.