Thirteen children have been taken to hospital following reports of pupils at a north London secondary school feeling unwell after eating what they believed to be sweets. Ambulances were called shortly before noon to La Sainte Union Catholic school in Highgate and took the children to hospital as what police said was a precaution. Investigations are under way at La Sainte Union, a girls’ secondary school. The school has not been evacuated and no arrests have been made, according to the Metropolitan police. “Nobody is believed to be seriously unwell,” the force said. The London ambulance service said it had dispatched a clinical team leader, five ambulance crews, medics in cars and incident response officers. “We treated 13 teenagers at the scene and took them to hospital,” said a spokesperson. The school referred media requests to Camden council which said in a statement: “A small number of our students have been taken to hospital today after becoming ill. “The students became ill after eating what they believed were sweets. The contents of what the students ate and how they came into possession of them is being investigated by the police. We have made parents aware of this incident.” The school, which has a voluntary aided status, is for girls aged 11-18 with boys also in the sixth form. Past pupils have included the space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock, the musician Tulisa Contostavlos and the actor Imelda Staunton. Its mission statement reads: “We strive to provide a caring, secure environment in which each pupil can discover and realise their own potential. We wish to develop strength of character and confidence by stressing the pursuit of excellence and concern for others.” The school was rated as “good” during its last Ofsted inspection, which said that the thing pupils most liked about it was their teachers, the large grounds and the diversity of the community. Parents with children at the school received emails about the incident. One father with a daughter in a different year group to the one involved said he understood that those who had been treated were from year 9. His daughter had been oblivious to what had been going on until she called her mother. It added that staff ensured that pupils were aware of risks to their safety in the local area and took prompt action to protect pupils. Scotland Yard said in a statement: “Police were called by London ambulance service at around 11.45am on Monday 5 October, to reports of children feeling unwell having eaten what they believed to be sweets at a school in Highgate Road, NW5. “As a precaution, 13 children have been taken to hospital. Their parents have been informed.”