Fights in school, how often?

I've got two children at secondary school (1400 children in the school) - the eldest has been there just over 4 years. She's mentioned witnessing one scuffle, not really a fight as it was something which lasted seconds - an altercation I suppose, but which caused a stir and had one child off school for a few days.

No, it's not normal.

There were more physical altercations/ scraps/ low level physical bullying at primary actually, though nothing that resulted in injuries.

My DCs' secondary is a pretty average city school. I'd say there's a fight once or twice a term tops. It's boys or girls who have a history of arguing/ falling out etc with each other, not random attacks, so I still feel my DCs are 'safe'. They are usually broken up quickly and the children involved dealt with fairly. The SENCo/ nurse runs out to the field with a first aid box and wheelchair to bring in any casualties.

Recently moved DD out of an 'outstanding' school where fights were a daily occurrence and some were vicious. Not the only issue there but it sets the seen. New school she hasn't seen any physical violence at all

Unusual at the school I teach at. Maybe 2 a year. Although sometimes the excitement of one fight will cause an outbreak of scuffles usually among younger students who are trying to look cool/hard!

Not normal in most schools.
More normal in some schools than others (often in schools where it's common to punch walls when annoyed, verbal abuse is the way students have seen adults deal with emotions, parents are the types to say "if anyone starts on you then smack'em")

Having said that, the very occasional minor scuffle (all talk and a little bit of shoving with low commitment from either party) usually gets spoken of like a fight for at least 24 hours, which always amuses me because they've never seen a proper fight so this is high drama.

Dc both went through a poorly performing school with a difficult intake (serves an estate with lots of problems) . Youngest has just finished there.
Kids kicking off and having a meltdown? - very common
Fights ? -Both dc said they only saw one in their entire 5 years

Physical fights are sufficiently rare at my children's school that they actually merit talking about at the dinner table. Normally I just get "fine " or "pretty average" if I ask how school was, but a fight is definitely considered newsworthy.
That said, the beginning of a new year can be a bit unsettled. I know there are always a few arguments about who sits where on the school bus my children get but by half term it is usually all settled.
Does your DD feel upset or threatened by the fighting? If so, it might be worth a quiet word with her form teacher or head of year. At my children's school they have a years 7 and 12 parents' evening fairly early on in the year. It isn't a full one where you see all the subject teachers, but just an opportunity for parents of new starters who have any concerns to have a chat. Does your school do anything similar? It might be worth asking, and if not, make an individual appointment if it is bothering her a lot.

No, not at all normal in the fairly average secondaries around here. In fact, last year the kind of "bundle" that I remember as an almost daily occurrence at my school, made the local newspaper.

Even play fighting is banned

I taught in a fairly mixed intake secondary for seven years, and behaviour had deteriorated over the last two years, but I can recall maybe one fight in that time, and a couple of occasions where a student was hit by another.

So no, what you describe is not normal.

Not normal at DS1's school.

They won't tolerate any form of physical aggression - DS's friend has a day's isolation in Year 7 because he put his hands on a boy's chest as if he was going to push him, because the boy said an abusive comment to another friend.

They drum it into them from day 1, and it just doesn't happen. Another local secondary has almost daily fights, same catchment, same primary feeders, just different approach from the school.

I just checked with my children. 6 years into secondary school and neither of them have witnessed a physical fight or are aware of them having happened.

Definitely not normal.

However, sometimes we go though ‘spates’ where they’re very common, but then there’s not another one for years.

IMO those who get their phones out and egg people on should be punished as well.

Not normal at all