Two pupils have sustained serious injuries in an attack at an independent boarding school in Devon and police have revealed that a number of weapons were found at the scene.
One of the boys from Blundell’s school in Tiverton is in a critical condition while the second is stable and a male member of staff has been discharged from hospital after being treated for serious injuries.
A 16-year-old boy, also believed to be a pupil, has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and is in police custody.
Supt Antony Hart, the local policing commander, said: “While we can confirm some weapons were located at the scene, it would not be appropriate to speculate on how these may have been involved while our enquiries continue.
“Our investigation is being assisted by experts who are assessing the injuries sustained and how they were caused.”
A parent whose child attends the school said: “All the kids involved are pupils. One lad has gone into a dormitory and attacked the two pupils with a hammer.
“And then the teacher was attacked. It was one of the teachers who reside at the house. God knows what the motive was.”
Devon and Cornwall police have not confirmed that a hammer was recovered.
Police were called at 1am on Friday to Blundell’s, where parents pay up to £41,000 a year for children to board.
Hart added: “This is a very traumatic incident for those involved and the wider school community and we will continue to work closely with the school, providing support to those involved.
“At this time it is understood that all parties involved are linked to the school. I am keen to reassure the community that there is no wider risk, and we are not seeking anyone else in relation to this matter.”
Bart Wielenga, the headteacher of the school, said in a letter to parents that there would be a police presence around Petergate, one of the school’s boarding houses, for “some time”. He said the school was working closely with police and that support would be available. He urged parents not to engage in speculation or to post on social media.
Wielenga said he would address pupils in the chapel. “I will reassure them that support is available to anyone who feels upset by what has happened,” he wrote in the letter. “The school counsellor and the chaplain will be in the Lady Chapel throughout the day.”
Alison Hernandez, the police and crime commissioner for Devon, said: “Incidents of this nature are always shocking, but when they take place in a school setting they are particularly distressing and my thoughts are with everyone involved.
“As commissioner of victim services, I am working with our strategic delivery partner Victim Support to be at the school to support anyone who witnessed or has been affected by these events which will no doubt have a lasting effect on the school community and their families.”
Richard Foord, the MP for Tiverton and Honiton, tweeted: “This is deeply concerning news and my thoughts are with the families and friends of the pupils involved. This is a serious incident and it’s important we give Devon and Cornwall police the space to handle this situation properly.”
On its website, the co-educational school says it has a “safe, secure campus, set on the edge of the market town of Tiverton, surrounded by gentle hills and green space”.
Forensics experts worked at the school on Friday afternoon and uniformed officers stood guard.
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were called at 00.57hrs. We sent three double-crewed land ambulances, an air ambulance, a rapid response vehicle and hazardous area response teams. Three individuals were conveyed by land ambulance to hospital.”
