Police continue to question boy over pupil stabbing

Police have been granted more time to question a teenage boy following the stabbing of a secondary school pupil.

A teenage girl was taken to hospital with minor injuries following the incident at Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on Wednesday. Police said she had since been discharged.

A 15-year-old was arrested near the school site, which reopened to pupils on Thursday.

Officers have been given an additional 12 hours to question the boy on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

A cordon remains in place on Pound Lane, which runs along the side of the school.

Earlier, principal Penny Bignell said Wednesday had been an "incredibly traumatic day" but she hoped pupils would benefit from their routine returning to normal.

Pupils and staff had followed lockdown procedures, which involved barricading doors, hiding under desks and closing blinds.

A letter sent to parents on Wednesday evening said: "When something like this happens, routines and normality are helpful, and so school will be open as normal tomorrow at 8am.

"However, if you as a family wish to support your child at home we will respect this choice."

The principal explained that both the police and a support team from the local authority would be on site to "reassure students, staff and the wider community".

She added: "It will take time for us all to understand and process what has happened, and clearly we will be working closely with the police to support their investigation."

Pupils in the school had been told to turn off their phones and hide under their desks, and armed police were seen inside the school.

The incident, from about 10:25 GMT, also led to emergency procedures being activated elsewhere.

Cecil Gowing Infant School in Sprowston, about three miles away, wrote to parents to inform them while it did not enter a full lockdown it did keep children inside the school until it had more information.

By 12:45, children were allowed outside to play again.

A spokesperson for Broad Horizons Education Trust, which runs the school, said: "This was obviously an incredibly traumatic day for our school community.

"We have been assured by the police that the event was an isolated incident, there are no ongoing concerns and that the community is safe.

"Our staff acted swiftly and professionally, and our students all showed great maturity in the face of a very distressing situation.

"Thorpe St Andrew has a strong sense of community, and we will support each other to come through this."

Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman described the incident as "deeply concerning and truly harrowing".

The Conservative MP said his thoughts were with the victim, adding: "The scourge of knife crime and stabbing which we have seen in London is not something we want to see on the streets of Norwich or any part of Norfolk."

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.