Community in shock after teacher injured at school and teen arrested

A west Wales community has been left in shock following the arrest of a 15-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder after a teacher was injured at a school.

Dyfed-Powys Police was called to reports of an assault on a teacher by a pupil brandishing a weapon at Milford Haven Comprehensive School in Pembrokeshire at about 15:20 GMT on Thursday.

The teacher was discharged from hospital that evening after being treated for an injury, which police said was not a stab wound.

"It's very worrying, it's definitely not something you would expect in a school in Pembrokeshire," said shop owner Michelle Hawkins.

She said the incident was "very dramatic", and added people in the local community had been quiet on Friday morning.

"It's shocking," she said.

Most pupils had left the school at the time of the incident, according to the local council leader, but some were still on-site and a lockdown was put in place.

The school remained closed on Friday but is due to re-open on Monday.

Parent Nikki Jenkins, whose son is a pupil there, said there was a lot of speculation on social media.

"We didn't know what was going on," she said.

"This is not a regular occurrence. It's made the national news. It just doesn't happen."

She added: "Milford has its issues but so does every little town.

"My son's alright. He's resilient, but I know there are some who are worried."

Leader of Pembrokeshire council Jon Harvey said pupils and staff were well practiced in the lockdown procedure.

"In this case, I think it's fair to say that everything worked as it should, and the most important thing is that all pupils were safe and have returned home unharmed," he said.

"It's important to say these incidents are rare, but they are very distressing when they happen and that's why we have the school protocols in place to deal with them," Harvey told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Deputy headteacher Daryl John thanked the staff and "small number of pupils" that remained on-site.

"They all conducted themselves with professionalism and were calm throughout," he said, also thanking the emergency services for a quick response.

"Our heartfelt best wishes go out to our colleague, and we look forward to their full and speedy recovery," he added.

Following the incident, Matt Wrack, the general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said schools "should be places of safety and learning - not fear and violence".

"We will be standing by to offer all the support we can," he said.

Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan said "violence of any kind has no place in our schools".

Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell said he was "very grateful to the school staff and our emergency services for their swift response in ensuring the safety of pupils and colleagues".

He described the local area as a "really close community".