Art can imitate life, and sometimes it’s the other way round.

But residents living near Battersea Technology College were certainly fooled by the lifelike injuries sported by these students on a drama project.

So much so that when they saw the pupils apparently beating each other up outside the school, they promptly called the police, who arrived to find everyone unharmed.

Headteacher Gale Keller said: “The children were very amused. They tend to be extraordinarily well behaved, but their injuries were very realistic.”

The Year 9 students, whose school specialises in performing arts, were taking part in a day of activities organised by the Fishing Rod Experience.

After applying stage makeup to give themselves realistic bruises, black eyes, bleeding wounds and scars, the students then took part in a mock fight, which was filmed by their classmates.

In an unconnected incident, Police Constable Maxine McMurdie, who is the police officer assigned to the school in Battersea Park Road was walking through the corridors when she came across another group of students who were filming a scene.

She said: “The teacher grabbed me and said ‘Oh wonderful. You’re an officer. Can you help?’”

Not wanting to spoil the fun, PC McMurdie agreed to take part and pretended to arrest a student who played the role of a terrorist.

She said: “I was really impressed. The students were allowed to take control and were doing various roles, in front and behind the camera. It was very forward thinking.”