A teenage girl has been stabbed close to a school in London - with witnesses saying she was 'slashed' in the head. The youngster, reported to be 17, was attacked near mixed-sex secondary school Alec Reed Academy in Northolt, in the west London borough of Ealing, on Wednesday shortly after 8pm. She was taken to hospital for treatment to an injury which Scotland Yard has now said is not thought to be life-threatening. Pictures and footage shared online showed a suspect being arrested by officers in connection with the incident. Reports have suggested that fighting erupted at about 8.15pm on Godfrey Avenue after a man confronted four teenagers, two boys and two girls. A girl aged 17 had her forehead slashed with a 'sharp implement' in an 'unprovoked attack', witnesses said. And a suspect was said to have been pursued by two men who leapt out of their cars and 'herded him into the school gate'. One of those men was quoted as saying he was 'shocked' by what he saw, adding: 'He was mounted on top of her and slashing.' The witness, a father of four living in nearby Hillingdon, told the Standard: 'I didn't want to get stabbed, but we herded him into the school gate. I’d do what any other person would do.' The Metropolitan Police said a man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and remained in custody today. The force added in a statement: 'A crime scene was put in place while the incident was dealt with. Enquiries into the circumstances continue.' London Ambulance Service said: 'We were called at 8.14pm (on April 16) to reports of a stabbing near Godfrey Avenue, UB5. 'We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and a member of our tactical response unit. 'We treated a teenager at the scene and took her to a hospital.' Alec Reed Academy was given its current name in 2012 in honour of its sponsor, the successful businessman Sir Alec Reed. It was previously known as Compton High School and Sports College, named after England and Middlesex cricket legend Denis Compton. The Met urged anyone with information that could help their inquiries to call 101 or send a message on X, formerly Twitter, to @MetCC while quoting CAD6857/16Apr.