Tewkesbury school stabbing latest – Teenager held on suspicion of attempted murder
Emergency services were called to the Gloucestershire school at around 9:10am on Monday to reports of a stabbing
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a teacher was stabbed at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire on Monday morning.
A student reportedly stabbed teacher Jamie Sansom, The Independent understands, whose condition is stable.
Following a lockdown lift, pupils began to filter out of the site on Monday afternoon.
“It was initially thought that the suspect had fled the scene and hidden himself in the school grounds,” Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone told reporters outside Tewkesbury Academy.
“Specialist resources, including the National Police Air Service and plain clothed officers, were deployed to search the wider area and thanks to their efforts the suspect was safely arrested by firearms officers in Stoke Orchard at 11am this morning.
“A knife was seized during that arrest. Searches have continued in order to ensure there were no further casualties and we can now confirm that no-one else was injured in this attack.
“At this stage the motivation behind the attack is unclear but at this time there is no evidence to suggest it is terrorism related.”
Have you been affected by this incident? If so email tara.cobham@independent.co.uk
Teenager arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, teacher in stable condition
A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a teacher was stabbed at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire on Monday.
A student reportedly stabbed teacher Jamie Sansom, The Independent understands, whose condition is stable.
Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone told reporters outside Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire: “Just after 9am we received a call from someone telling us about a threat to a teacher at Tewkesbury Academy.
“Minutes later we received a call from the ambulance service telling us that a male teacher had been stabbed in a corridor at the school.
“He was taken to hospital with a single stab wound and remains in a stable condition.”
Teenager arrested at Tewkesbury Academy after ‘pupil stabs teacher’
A teenager has been arrested at the school, and Gloucestershire Police said an adult has been taken to hospital with a suspected stab wound following an incident at the secondary school on Ashchurch Road.
My colleague Tara Cobham reports:
School on lockdown in Tewkesbury as emergency services called to ‘incident’
Police said on Monday morning officers are at the scene at Tewkesbury School on Ashchurch Road
Education secretary ‘deeply concerned’ by stabbing reports
In a new statement, education secretary Gillian Keegan has reacted to reports of the stabbing at Tewkesbury Academy.
“I am deeply concerned by reports of a stabbing at Tewkesbury School,” Ms Keegan said. “We are closely monitoring the situation and remain hugely grateful to the emergency services who are currently on the scene.
“My department is on hand to support the school as the situation unfolds.”
Tewkesbury school issues statement after suspected stabbing
A male teacher required hospital treatment after reports he was stabbed by a pupil at Tewkesbury Academy, that has now issued a statement regarding the incident.
The school’s headteacher Kathleen McGillycuddy said: “We appreciate that this morning has been a worrying time for all associated with Tewkesbury Academy. We are writing to reassure you that all pupils remain safe and well.
“We were alerted shortly before 9am this morning to reports of a serious incident which left a male member of staff in need of hospital treatment.
“The school was locked down and police were called immediately when we became aware of this incident. We have since been taking advice from the Police on when and how to share updates with you.
“In the last few minutes Police have arrested a teenage boy in connection with this incident. In conjunction with Police advice the lockdown remains in place as a precaution. We hope to be able to provide a further update once cleared by Police in the near future.
“Thank you for patience and understanding at this difficult time.”
Ambulance service confirms one patient taken to hospital
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were called at 9.08am to an incident in Tewkesbury on Monday 10 July.
“We sent three double-crewed land ambulances and two operations officers. We conveyed one patient by land to Gloucester Royal Hospital.”
Around 100 people gathered outside Tewkesbury school
A crowd of around 100 people has gathered outside Tewkesbury Academy after a teacher was stabbed by a pupil.
At least three police patrol cars were parked on the school grounds while uniformed officers stood on duty at the entrances.
However, a convoy of six unmarked police 4×4 vehicles – believed to contain armed officers – has now left the school.
All of the officers in those cars had their faces covered as they drove away. Three ambulances, dispatched by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, have also left the school.
Tewkesbury MP ‘deeply shocked and saddened’ by stabbing reports
Parents of children at Tewkesbury Academy have been advised to go to a nearby Dobbies garden centre, following this morning’s reported stabbing at the secondary school.
The town’s MP, Laurence Robertson said he was “deeply shocked and saddened by the news” of the incident, adding: “My thoughts are with everyone at the scene.”
He also thanked staff, police, Dobbies “and everyone trying to deal with the situation” in a statement on Twitter.
Leader of headteachers’ union reacts to ‘appalling’ incident
The leader of a headteachers’ union has described the stabbing of a teacher at Tewkesbury Academy as “appalling”.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “While we are not aware of the details of what has happened, this is clearly an appalling incident and the teacher concerned and all affected are in our thoughts and prayers.”
‘People in the vicinity of the incident will have been traumatised’, says parent of daughter trapped in locked-down school
A parent whose daughter has been one of the pupils trapped in the locked-down school has told The Independent of “complete horror and shock”.
She said it is one of her daughter’s teachers who is suspected to have been stabbed, although her daughter was in a separate classroom at the time of the incident.
As soon as the news was reported, all of her family contacted her, she said. “My first thought was, ‘Oh my god, is my daughter safe? Is everyone safe?’”
Her daughter sent her a text, offering reassurance that she was safe. But the mother added: “She’s been freaked out, and the teachers have been doing their best to keep them calm.”
A former pupil of the school herself, she said the news is a “massive shock”, imagining “frightened” pupils and teachers. “People in the vicinity of the incident will have been traumatised,” she added.
‘No decision has yet been made on when the school will reopen’, Tewskesbury Academy says
Pupils at Tewkesbury Academy will be sent home after a lockdown put in place when a male teacher was stabbed on Monday morning at the school is lifted, the school said.
A Tewkesbury Academy spokesman said: “Shortly before 9am today, staff were alerted to a serious incident which left a male member of staff in need of hospital treatment.
“School leaders immediately contacted police and placed the site into lockdown in line with our robust safeguarding procedures.
“We will now be following police guidance in how to ease the lockdown before releasing students to return home.” they added. “No decision has yet been made on when the school will reopen, but we will be drawing up plans to support our students and staff in the wake of this incident.”
