A teenage girl is in custody being questioned on suspicion of attempted murder following the stabbing of two teachers and a pupil at a Welsh school on Wednesday.
The incident occurred at Amman Valley School, also known as Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, in Carmarthenshire, just after 11.20am following the morning break.
Dyfed-Powys Police confirmed that two teachers and a teenage pupil were taken to the hospital with stab wounds but their injuries are not life-threatening. A knife has also been recovered.
Independent MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Jonathan Edwards, told Channel 5 News that the teachers were stabbed while trying to help a pupil who was attacked.
One of the teachers, Darrel Campbell, is reported to have intervened and disarmed the girl before emergency services arrived. He is said to have not been harmed during the incident.
The school was placed into lockdown for several hours before pupils were able to leave at around 3.20pm. It will not open on Thursday to allow police to continue their investigation.
Headteacher James Durbridge praised staff and pupils for their “calm and mature response” to the lockdown in a message on the school’s website.
Parents who gathered outside the school as news of the incident emerged were seen tearfully hugging their children after they walked through the gates.
Investigators in white forensic suits were seen examining an area by the main building of the school, with police by the main entrance and nearby streets.
Police have asked for footage of the incident, circulating on social media, to be removed to avoid distress to those affected. The force has also asked people not to speculate while their investigation is ongoing.
Dafydd Llywelyn, police and crime commissioner for Dyfed-Powys, expressed his shock over the incident and extended his thoughts to those affected. He commended those who brought the situation under control and the emergency services who attended to the scene.
Politicians across Wales and the UK have described their shock at what happened. First Minister Vaughan Gething posted on X that it was a “deeply worrying time for the school, families and community”. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also thanked the police and emergency services for their work.
Amman Valley School is a bilingual comprehensive school for pupils aged between 11 and 18. It is maintained by Carmarthenshire County Council and provides education to 1,450 school pupils, in addition to 270 sixth form pupils.
