A boy who has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at a Sheffield school is said to have attacked two adults and a child with a “broken bottle”.
South Yorkshire Police rushed to the school just before 9am on Wednesday morning after receiving reports of an incident involving a “sharp object” at Birley Academy in Birley Lane. The Mirror reports the sharp object was reported to be a broken bottle and terrified students had to hide under tables after their school “lockdown” alarm was activated.
Two adults who received minor injuries were checked over, as was a child who had been attacked. A 17-year-old boy remains in police custody.
The school was quickly placed on lockdown, with children seen beginning to leave the site around 11am. Officers are expected to remain at the school and in the surrounding area throughout the day.
One parent – talking after collecting her 12-year-old daughter from school this morning – said they had been told the weapon was a broken bottle. Speaking with her mum’s permission, the youngster said: “I wasn’t scared to begin with when the lockdown alarm went off.
“I didn’t feel worried until they told us it was real. The teachers locked us in. The tables were put up against the doors. We had to sit all in a corner away from the window so they couldn’t see us. Then I was very scared. Some had to hide under tables if there were no corners. The alarm felt like it was going off for an hour.”
But she said she thinks it was about 30 minutes, first activated just before 9am. Her mum said the injured adults – not believed to be teacher – had been “heroic”. “The school did brilliantly and kept us all informed,” she said. “We had a message to say school was on lockdown. They did everything they could to keep the kids safe. The head did so well. The procedures were so good.”
A statement from South Yorkshire Police said: “Officers are at the scene after responding to reports of an incident involving a sharp object at the school on Birley Lane at around 8.50am. Two adults have been taken to hospital with minor injuries to be checked over. A child is also being checked over in hospital after being assaulted.
“A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody. Police will remain at the scene throughout the day to provide assurances to those in the school and the local community.”
(Image: Sheffield Star/SWNS)
The school said in an update at 10am that all students and staff are “safe”. They wrote on social media: “This morning we went into lockdown as a precaution following an incident at the school. This was not a decision taken lightly but the safety of students and staff is paramount. All students and staff are safe. We are working closely with the police and will update shortly.” An email sent from new headteacher Vicky Hall asked parents not to turn up at the school and reassured them that everyone is “safe and well”.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said she was “disturbed” to hear about the incident at The Birley Academy. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she said: “We’re in touch with the school and my thoughts are with those injured and all the school community affected by this frightening situation.”
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