OLD Tewkesbury School stabbing latest - Pupils in lockdown after teacher ‘attacked’

A teenager has been arrested at Tewkesbury School after a student reportedly stabbed a teacher.

The Gloucestershire school is currently in lockdown as emergency services respond to the incident, with parents being urged not to go to the school.

A spokeswoman for Gloucestershire Police spokeswoman said: “Emergency services are at the scene of an incident at Tewkesbury School on Ashchurch Road.

“The school is currently in lockdown while police are at the scene. More information will be released in due course.”

Emergency services were called to the school a little after 9am on Monday to reports a pupil had stabbed a teacher.

Someone in the area wrote on social media of having “never seen so many police in one time before” and “hundreds of worried parents outside, worried for their kids”.

Teachers at the nearby Tirlebrook Primary School posted a message on Facebook saying its school had also been locked down on police advice and urged parents not to come to the school.

“An incident has occurred this morning at Tewkesbury Academy and we have been advised by Tewkesbury Police to put in place a lockdown,” they said.

Teenager arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, teacher in stable condition

16:20 , Eleanor Noyce

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.”

‘This was clearly a very distressing incident’, police say

16:49 , Eleanor Noyce

“The suspect, a teenage boy from Tewkesbury, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody”, a statement from Gloucestershire Police read.

“This was clearly a very distressing incident and our thoughts are with the victim, their family and everyone impacted by what happened.

“We are working with the school and other agencies to ensure appropriate support is available and local people will see more police in the area over the coming days as the investigation continues.”

‘We know the kids are safe now, we just need to know that he is OK’, says parent of hospitalised teacher

16:40 , Eleanor Noyce

Michelle Smith, whose 13-year-old son Alex is in Year 8, said she was very relieved to be able to collect him from school after getting the shock news on Monday morning.

“Very relieved. You get the message from school to say the school has been locked down and it says urgent,” she said.

“You open it and you’re at work and you go on to Facebook to see if you can see anything and there is so many different stories going on there - so you tend to panic a little bit.

“Then you hear that a teacher has been stabbed and the children are all locked down. The first instinct is to get to the school as quickly as you can, which I didn’t do, and I listened to the school and stayed away as long as I possibly can.

“I had other people that were here informing me of what was going on, so that helped a lot. Even though you know your child is safe and the school are doing a fantastic job, knowing who has been stabbed and knowing it is one of your child’s favourite teachers, you know they are going to be very upset when they come home.

“They informed us of what they could as soon as they could, and they have been absolutely brilliant. We went up to Dobbies to meet and get updates. As soon as they said we could bring him home I was down here.”

Mrs Smith said the teacher is “very popular” with parents and pupils alike.

“He does a lot of the school trips. He is a really, really good teacher and the communication is really good,” she said.

“He is one of those teachers you know you can email him or talk to him. He gets back to you and I am really, really very concerned about him at the moment. I have got everything crossed for him. We know the kids are safe now, we just need to know that he is OK.”

‘He is a nice teacher and he does a lot of events’, says pupil

16:35 , Eleanor Noyce

Pupils from Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire were reunited with their parents after the incident, which saw a teacher injured and the school locked down by police.

Among the parents was Michelle Smith, who was waiting for her 13-year-old son Alex, who is in year 8.

Speaking outside the school, Alex told the PA news agency: “The school had just started, and we went to our first lesson and we didn’t know what was going on but it was alright until the teacher locked the door and we were in that same lesson for four or five hours.

“We didn’t know what was going on, but we weren’t worried, and we weren’t that scared because we were fine.

“We were in the classroom and couldn’t really see any police cars but when they let us go to the toilet and we went downstairs we could see lots of police cars and we still didn’t know what was happening and people told us what was happening when we went downstairs.

“Then the assembly happened, and we understood what was going on. It is quite sad, and I don’t know why it happened and I am not sure of much of the details.

“The police came and just said the incident has happened and they were sorry for the inconvenience. We didn’t get any details until the assembly. In the assembly they told us a member of staff had been hurt.”

The teenager said the teacher who had been injured was one of his favourites at the school and organises a lot of the school trips.

“He is a nice teacher and he does a lot of events,” he added.

No evidence to suggest incident terrorism related, police say

16:25 , Eleanor Noyce

Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone told reporters outside Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire a teenager had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

“It was initially thought that the suspect had fled the scene and hidden himself in the school grounds,” Mr Ocone said.

“Our officers, including specialist trained armed police, attended and carried out a thorough search.

“This search was both complex and meticulous in nature as we sought to ensure there were no further injured parties as well as seeking the arrest of the suspect.

“The academy was locked down and two neighbouring schools were asked to close their doors as a precaution.

“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. However, we are keeping an open mind while further inquiries are carried out.”

Tewkesbury school stabbing: Pupil’s mother reads texts sent from daughter

15:59 , Eleanor Noyce

The mother of a pupil at Tewkesbury Academy read out texts exchanged between her and her daughter as the alleged stab incident unfolded in the school.

Sarah Penny spoke to Sky News on Monday 10 July, reading messages from her child that described the incident as “really scary”.

A teenage boy has been arrested after a student reportedly stabbed a teacher at the Gloucestershire school.

“An adult has been taken to hospital with a suspected stab wound following an incident at Tewkesbury School,” a statement from Gloucestershire Police, posted on Twitter, read.

Pupils with their parents’ consent left the site on Monday afternoon following a lockdown lift.

Tewkesbury school stabbing: Pupil’s mother reads texts sent by daughter

‘It doesn’t happen here’, says parent of Tewkesbury Academy pupil

15:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Martyn and Julia Gardiner, the parents of Year 7 student Katie Gardiner, 12, said the school and police had kept them informed.

Mrs Gardiner said: “Hearing about it this morning felt very strange - it doesn’t happen here. I know it sounds a cliche and you see it happening on the news in other places.

“We had a message from the school saying they had gone into lockdown, which was obviously quite frightening, and they would update us.

“We got the alert to come down to Dobbies where the police were brilliant in keeping us informed of what was going on.

“The school was communicating throughout the morning. The students were allowed to turn their phones on, which we were most grateful for.

“They are allowed to have their phones in school, but they have got to be off the moment they go through the school gates.

“They were all locked in the classrooms, so they were allowed to turn their phones on and I got a text message to say she was OK.

“We couldn’t ring but we were allowed to text, which was really reassuring.

“They had quite a lot of fun with sweets and doing a geography quiz and the teachers did a fantastic job keeping everyone calm.”

Mr Gardiner said: “The worst always goes through your head when you see everything happening at other schools.”

Tears and hugs as pupils reunited with parents

15:31 , Eleanor Noyce

There were tears and hugs as pupils from Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire were reunited with their parents after the stabbing incident, which saw a teacher injured and the school locked down by police.

Year 7 student Katie Gardiner, 12, was collected from the school gates by her worried parents Martyn and Julia Gardiner.

“It was quite scary as we had never had anything like that before. My old primary school also got shut down,” the schoolgirl told the PA news agency.

“The teachers did a really good job in keeping us calm and making sure we had fun.”

Her mother said that once the school was locked down, teachers allowed students to switch on their mobile phones and message their families to say they were safe.

The school rules are that mobile phones are switched off as soon as the children enter the school in the morning.

“We are really relieved to see her. We know she has been safe for many, many hours but until you actually see them you don’t know,” Mrs Gardiner said.

Where is Tewkesbury Academy?

15:19 , Eleanor Noyce

Tewkesbury Academy is located in Tewkesbury, a market town in Gloucestershire.

It is approximately 12 miles north of Gloucester, and had a population of 85,800 in 2015.

Father tells BBC of teacher who ‘barricaded the door’ and kept students ‘cool’

14:52 , Eleanor Noyce

A father whose daughter attends Tewkesbury Academy has told the BBC that a teacher “barricaded the door” to keep students safe.

“They [the pupils] were all scared but my daughter has been absolutely fantastic. I’m very proud of her,” Daniel told the BBC.

As his daughter video-called him following the incident, Daniel saw her teacher “supporting the whole class.”

“The teacher sat right by the door. He barricaded the door, put some boxes there and kept everyone cool even though he must have been scared himself”, he said.

Pupils pictured leaving as lockdown lifts

14:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Pupils have been pictured leaving Tewkesbury Academy as the lockdown is lifted.

A statement to parents on the school’s website said: “We are now able to send children home but need to receive your consent in order to do so safely.

“Parents should arrive at Dobbies Garden Centre from 1pm where the police will co-ordinate the parents of each year group arriving at the academy to ensure every child leaves safely and efficiently.”

There will be additional buses to take pupils home earlier.

The statement adds: “If we do not receive your consent, children will be kept on site until 3.25pm.”

‘Hero’ teacher praised by parents

14:18 , Eleanor Noyce

A teacher has been labelled a “hero” by parents at Tewkesbury Academy who believe that he tried to stop a fight to protect a pupil, The Telegraph reports.

A teenage boy has been arrested after a student reportedly stabbed a teacher at the Gloucestershire school, with pupils with parents’ consent to leave early now filtering out of the site following a lockdown lift.

PM responds to Tewkesbury school ‘stabbing’

14:12 , Maanya Sachdeva

Rishi Sunak’s thoughts are with those impacted by the incident at a school in Tewkesbury, Downing Street has said.

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman in a statement on Monday said: “It is a live investigation, but the prime minister’s thoughts are with the individual who has been injured and with the staff and pupils of the school who would obviously be extremely concerned.

“He wants to thank the police and emergency services for their ongoing response,” the spokesman added.

School and police ‘provided an incredible response in keeping our children safe’, says parent of Tewkesbury Academy pupil

14:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Erica Farley, who has a child attending Tewkesbury Academy, told the PA news agency: “As an ex-emergency services member, this is a very sad and worrying time for Tewkesbury School.

“As a parent, I am obviously concerned for my son, but very happy in the knowledge that the staff at the school and the police have provided an incredible response in keeping our children safe and have brought this to a swift conclusion.

“It is worrying that these things can happen in any school and all the more important that as parents we take responsibility for teaching our children awareness of the destructive nature of this type of incident.

“As a family, our thoughts go out to the teacher concerned and hope for a speedy recovery.”

Lockdown lifted following incident at Tewkesbury Academy

13:55 , Eleanor Noyce

Parents have been told their children can now leave Tewkesbury Academy following the incident on Monday morning.

Pupils who have their parents’ consent to leave the school early are being released from the site as a lockdown is lifted.

A statement to parents on the school’s website said: “We are now able to send children home but need to receive your consent in order to do so safely.

“Parents should arrive at Dobbies Garden Centre from 1pm where the police will co-ordinate the parents of each year group arriving at the academy to ensure every child leaves safely and efficiently.”

There will be additional buses to take pupils home earlier.

The statement adds: “If we do not receive your consent, children will be kept on site until 3.25pm.”

Teenager arrested at Tewkesbury School after ‘pupil stabs teacher’

13:53 , Eleanor Noyce

A teenage boy has been arrested at a Gloucestershire school after a pupil is reported to have stabbed a male teacher.

Gloucestershire Constabulary said an adult has been taken to hospital with a suspected stab wound following an incident at Tewkesbury School on Ashchurch Road.

Emergency services were called at around 9.10am on Monday to reports a pupil had stabbed a teacher at the secondary school, which was subsequently locked down.

My colleague Tara Cobham has the full story:

Teenager arrested at school after ‘pupil stabs teacher’

‘No decision has yet been made on when the school will reopen’, Tewskesbury Academy says

13:42 , Eleanor Noyce

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.”

‘People in the vicinity of the incident will have been traumatised’, says parent of daughter trapped in locked-down school

13:37 , Eleanor Noyce

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.

Leader of headteachers’ union reacts to ‘appalling’ incident

13:08 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.”

Tewkesbury MP ‘deeply shocked and saddened’ by stabbing reports

12:43 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.

Around 100 people gathered outside Tewkesbury school

12:08 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.

Ambulance service confirms one patient taken to hospital

12:07 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.”

Tewkesbury school issues statement after suspected stabbing

11:50 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.”

Education secretary ‘deeply concerned’ by stabbing reports

11:46 , Maanya Sachdeva

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.”

Teenager arrested at Tewkesbury Academy after ‘pupil stabs teacher’

11:36 , Maanya Sachdeva

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’