Stabbing in Tewkesbury today: Pupils hail ‘hero’ teacher who tried to stop fight

A teacher has been dubbed a ‘hero’ by parents at Tewkesbury Academy who believe he was trying to prevent a fight to protect a student. The Telegraph reports.

A teenager has been arrested after a pupil reportedly stabbed a teacher at the Gloucestershire school. Pupils with parental consent to leave school earlier are now being expelled from the site after the curfew was lifted.

The mother of a Tewkesbury Academy student was reading texts exchanged between her and her daughter when the alleged knife attack occurred at the school.

Sarah Penny spoke to me Sky news On Monday, July 10, she read messages from her child describing the incident as “really scary”.

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

Students left the site Monday afternoon after a lockdown was lifted with the consent of their parents.

Martyn and Julia Gardiner, parents of 12-year-old seventh grader Katie Gardiner, said the school and police had kept them informed.

Ms Gardiner said: “It felt very strange to hear about it this morning – that doesn’t happen here.” I know it sounds like a cliché and you see it on the news elsewhere too.

“We received a message from the school that they had imposed a lockdown which of course was quite scary and they would update us.

“We received the alert to come into Dobbies where the police gave us excellent updates of what was going on.

“The school communicated throughout the morning. Students were allowed to turn on their phones, for which we were very grateful.

“You are allowed to have your phones at school, but they must be switched off as soon as you 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 saying she was fine.

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

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

Mr Gardiner said: “The worst always crosses your mind when you see what’s happening in other schools.”

There were tears and hugs as students at Tewkesbury Academy in Gloucestershire reunited with their parents after the knife attack that left a teacher injured and the school cordoned off by police.

12-year-old seventh grade student Katie Gardiner was picked up at the school gate by her concerned parents, Martyn and Julia Gardiner.

“It was quite scary as we had never experienced anything like this before. My old primary school was also closed,” the student told the PA news agency.

“The teachers did a really good job making sure we stayed calm and making sure we were having fun.”

Her mother said that after the school went into lockdown, teachers allowed students to turn on their cell phones and text their families to let them know they were safe.

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

“We’re really relieved to see her. We know she was safe for many, many hours, but until you actually see her, you don’t know,” Ms Gardiner said.

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

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

A father whose daughter attends Tewkesbury Academy has told it BBC that a teacher “barricaded the door” to ensure student safety.

“She [the pupils] I was all scared but my daughter was absolutely amazing. I’m very proud of her,” Daniel said BBC.

When his daughter video called him after the incident, Daniel saw her teacher “supporting the whole class.”

“The teacher was sitting right by the door. “He barricaded the door and put some boxes in there and made sure everyone stayed cool, although he must have been scared himself,” he said.

Pictured are students leaving Tewkesbury Academy as lockdown is lifted.

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

“Parents should arrive at the Dobbies Garden Center by 1pm where police will coordinate the arrival of each year’s parents at the academy to ensure every child leaves the academy safely and efficiently.”

There will be extra buses to get students home earlier.

The statement went on to say: “If we do not obtain your consent, the children will be held on site until 3.25pm.”

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

Mr Sunak’s official spokesman said in a statement on Monday: “It is a live investigation but the Prime Minister’s thoughts are with the person who was injured and with the school’s staff and students, who are clearly extremely concerned would be.”

“He would like to thank the police and emergency services for their continued response,” the spokesman added.

Erica Farley, whose child attends Tewkesbury Academy, told the PA news agency: “As a former member of the Ambulance Service, this is a very sad and worrying time for Tewkesbury School.

“As a parent, I’m obviously worried about my son, but I’m also very pleased that the school staff and police have been incredibly good at keeping our children safe and bringing the matter to a close.”

“It is worrying that such things can happen in any school, and it is all the more important that we as parents take responsibility for educating our children about the destructive nature of such incidents.”

“As a family, our thoughts are with the teacher who was affected and we hope for a speedy recovery.”

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

Students who have their parents’ consent to leave school early will be released from the grounds upon the lifting of the lockdown.

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

“Parents should arrive at the Dobbies Garden Center by 1pm where police will coordinate the arrival of each year’s parents at the academy to ensure every child leaves the academy safely and efficiently.”

There will be extra buses to get students home earlier.

The statement went on to say: “If we do not obtain your consent, the children will be held on site until 3.25pm.”