Teenager arrested after knife incident at school

A teenager has been arrested following an incident involving a knife at Haute Vallée in St Helier.

States of Jersey Police confirmed a 14-year-old male was restrained by members of staff until officers arrived.

One student was reported to have a very minor injury to the hand. There were no other reported injuries.

In an email to children's parents and carers, head teacher Stuart Hughes acknowledged the "very serious" but "extremely rare" incident at the end of lunchtime in the canteen, and added that "everyone is safe".

Hughes said: "Members of staff acted swiftly and decisively to restrain the teenager, and the police arrived imminently... I want to reassure you that everyone is safe."

He said that police were "supporting students and staff and reviewing CCTV of the incident".

Hughes also said he spoke to all students in an assembly in the afternoon, alongside police and that Year 7 students "were addressed separately" to ensure they received "appropriate reassurance and support".

He added: "All staff were briefed at the end of the school day and wellbeing support for both students and staff is already in place and will continue over the coming days.

"I would like to say how proud I am of our school community. Staff responded swiftly with exceptional professionalism, and students were calm, respectful, and supportive of one another throughout."

School would be open as normal on Tuesday, he also said.

Chair of governors Philip Le Claire wrote a similar letter to parents in which he explained communication difficulties during the incident.

He said: "I would like to acknowledge that the school was unable to communicate with parents immediately during the incident.

"I hope you understand that the priority had to be ensuring the safety and wellbeing of students and staff while the situation was being managed."

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