How common are fights in secondary school?

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Posting for a teacher’s perspective.
DD started y7 3 weeks ago. She loves it and has made a good group of friends. She’s mentioned twice though that she’s walked past 2 fights in the park next door on her way home between girls in her year (2 different girls each time, both fights broken up by teachers). Is this usual for secondary or have I sent her to a rough school? She says everyone behaves well during school and she feels safe, but I do worry! Will it settle down? Do I move her, even though she’s happy and it seems a good school (in a poorer area, but good values and decent results)?

Moving schools because your DD has seen (not been involved in) two fights outside of school time when she says she feels safe and everyone behaves in school would be a complete overreaction. Are you worried about this school as you seem hyper vigilant for issues?

It’s just taken me by surprise. Ds has just gone into year 8 at an all boys school, but he never reported any fights etc so I wasn’t expecting this. The 2 schools are 2.5 miles apart (we live halfway between them). Lots of other parents from DD’s primary commented they wouldn’t send their dc there “because of the area” (poorer, rougher, more immigrants) but DD and I liked it and ofsted rated it good with outstanding areas (behaviour, leadership). I’m wondering if there may be something to what these parents were saying after all: I’d put it down to their prejudice but maybe I’m naive?

You only need a couple of handy kids to start a spate of fights. Your child could start in Y7 and never see a fight. Then, when s/he is in Y11, a couple of kids kick off and there are fights every day until it's sorted.

I would worry more about pushing and shoving in corridors, teachers being undermined, younger children feeling intimidated etc - things that suggest the school hasn't got things under control.

Not that common - there can be a lot of rough play between boys that had to be kept on top of, but actual fights are pretty rare and generally quite high profile. I look after a year group and I can only remember a few fights from last year in my year.

Honestly. At least weekly in most secondaries I've worked in.

Rarely in school and on the way home. When I hear our students say there's a fight what they actually mean is a bit of squaring up, a few shoves and may be 2 punches thrown. It's not ok but it's never more than a minor scuffle.

Other schools I've worked in then it would be weekly involving boys and girls from y7 to 11.