Statement in relation to incident at Tewkesbury Academy

The following statement has been released on behalf of Assistant Chief Constable Richard Ocone in relation to an incident at Tewkesbury Academy this morning, Monday 10 July.

ACC Ocone said: "Just after 9am this morning we received a call from someone telling us about a threat to a teacher at Tewkesbury Academy.

"Minutes later we received a call from the ambulance service telling us a male teacher had been stabbed in a corridor at the school. 

"He was taken to hospital with a single stab wound and remains in a stable condition.

"It was initially thought that the suspect had fled the scene and hidden himself within the school grounds.

"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 Academy was locked down and two neighbouring schools were asked to close their doors as a precaution.

"Specialist resources including the National Police Air Service and plain-clothed officers were deployed to search the wider area and thanks to their efforts the suspect was safely arrested by firearms officers in Stoke Orchard at 11am.

"A knife was seized during the arrest.

"Searches have continued in order to ensure there were no further casualties and we can now confirm that no one else was injured in this incident.

"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."