Schools in lockdown after ‘pupil stabs teacher’
A teenage boy has been arrested at a school in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, following reports that a pupil stabbed a teacher.
Multiple police vehicles are currently on the scene of the incident at Tewkesbury School on the town’s Ashchurch Road, after being called.
The school was placed in lockdown by police for a period, while a male teacher was taken to Gloucester Royal Hospital with a suspected stab wound.
The condition of the adult has not been confirmed.
Uniformed officers remain standing on duty at the entrances to the school, while three police vehicles are parked on the grounds.
Three ambulances and a convoy of six unmarked police 4×4 vehicles – believed to contain armed officers – have now left the school.
In a statement, the school’s head teacher 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.’
She said more updates would come ‘in the near future’ once they had been cleared by the police.
A post for Tewkesbury School website earlier this afternoon said pupils were free to leave the school following the lifting of the police lockdown.
The statement 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.’
Tewkesbury School, a state secondary for 11 to 18-year-olds, is part of the Cabot Learning Federation, a multi-academy trust responsible for a number of academies in the South West of England.
A statement from Gloucestershire Constabulary said: ‘An adult has been taken to hospital with a suspected stab wound following an incident at Tewkesbury School.
‘We were called around 9.10am on Monday with a report a pupil had stabbed a teacher.
‘A teenage boy has been arrested in connection with the incident.’
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.’
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.
The post said: ‘An incident has occurred this morning at Tewkesbury Academy and we have been advised by Tewkesbury Police to put in place a lock down.
‘We have a police presence at school and are being fully supported at this time. We would like to reassure all families that children at Tirlebrook and Little Oaks are safe and well.
‘We must ask that families do not come to school during this time as this could compromise the police operation currently underway and also compromise the safety of the children.’
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said: ‘I am deeply concerned by reports of a stabbing at Tewkesbury School.
‘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.’
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