Harrowing footage has emerged from inside the school that was locked down on Monday after a teacher was allegedly stabbed. In the footage, a police officer can be heard telling the pupils and a member of staff, who had huddled together in a cupboard, to "stay right at the back".
Police searched the grounds of Tewkesbury School on Monday after the incident. The school, along with two others nearby, were locked down for hours. On Monday police said it was believed the suspect had fled the scene and hidden in the grounds, reports GloucestershireLive.
Gloucestershire Police's Assistant Chief Constable, Richard Ocone, said: "The Academy was locked down and two neighbouring schools were asked to close their doors as a precaution. Our officers, including specialist 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 new footage shows one group of children, with a member of staff, gathering inside a storage cupboard. The students remain quiet as a loud banging noise, seemingly someone outside the room, is heard.
After a number of thuds, the staff member appears to head to the door, asking: "Who is it?". An indistinguishable deep voice is heard, before the staff member repeats the question.
The voice askes: "Are you in the cupboard?" The member of staff calls back "yes," and the pupils begin to speak again, as one terrified student appears to sob.
"Listen, everyone, listen," the police officer can be heard saying. "Stay right at the back and stay nice and calm, okay?"
Pupils were allowed to go home in stages from the school shortly after 1pm. Prior to that, Gloucestershire Police confirmed one teenager had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. He remained in custody for questioning overnight.
ACC Ocone said yesterday: "At this stage the motivation behind the attack is unclear and at this time there is no evidence to suggest it is terrorism-related. However we are keeping an open mind while further enquiries are carried out. The suspect, a teenage boy from Tewkesbury, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and remains in police custody.
"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."
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Tewkesbury School reopened on Tuesday, a spokesperson confirmed, and the teacher in question was released from hospital on Monday evening.
The spokesperson said: "We are pleased to confirm the Tewkesbury colleague injured in yesterday’s incident has been discharged from hospital and is recovering well. He has expressed his gratitude for the many positive messages he has received."
They went on to thank the local community and Gloucestershire Police for their support and reassurance during the incident, before adding: "And finally, huge thanks to all Tewkesbury colleagues for their calm and professionalism during an incredibly difficult day, and our students and their families for their patience, resilience and support. We look forward to continuing to support each other, while focusing again on providing a high-quality education to the young people of Tewkesbury.”
