Boy arrested after stabbing in classroom

School: 14-year-old held on suspicion of teacher’s ‘attempted murder’

Children have witnessed a supply teacher being stabbed in the stomach with a kitchen knife as he began to teach a science lesson

The stabbing of Vincent Uzomah, 50, at the Dixons Kings Academy, in Bradford, sparked a police hunt for a 14-year-old boy who fled the school after scaling a fence.

The teenager, who is a pupil at the academy, was arrested in the centre of the city about six hours later on suspicion of attempting to murder the teacher, who had only been working at the school for a few weeks.

MrUzomah was taken to hospital with a stab wound to his stomach but is said to be stable and his condition is not thought to be life threatening. Police said his family is with him.

It is understood he was stabbed with a kitchen knife the boy smuggled into the school this morning.

Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, of West Yorkshire Police said specially trained staff were talking to the children who “potentially witnessed something horrendous”.

Parents who gathered outside the school after hearing the news said the school had a good reputation for discipline but were concerned about the effects on their children.

Police were alerted by paramedics who were called to the school at around 8.55am.

Mr Atkinson said: “There were a number of pupils who witnessed this incident, which took place in a classroom, and they are currently liaising with our specially trained officers who are obviously supporting them at this difficult time. This is believed to be an isolated incident and the police are continuing inquiries to establish the facts.

“I would like to reassure residents and staff that all necessary resources are being deployed to investigate this ongoing and clearly serious incident.”

Mr Atkinson was speaking in front of the school, which is about a mile and a half (2.4km) from the centre of Bradford, shortly af- ter hundreds of pupils left for the day.

“We’re speaking with the pupils there to see what they actually saw,” Mr Atkinson said. “We’ve got a welfare issue to make sure we manage as well since they potentially witnessed something horrendous.”

The detective would not comment on whether police had recovered a knife or what help staff and pupils gave to the injured teacher. But he said the incident happened in a science class.

Speaking outside the school gates, the executive principal of the Dixons Academy group in Bradford, Nick Weller, said: “It happened right at the beginning of the school day and there were some students who witnessed it. A few students witnessed it - in a classroom.

“Those students have beeninterviewedbythepolice. Obviously, it’s a very shocking thing for them to see. The general atmosphere in the school is very calm, quite orderly, we’re trying to keep to normal routines as much as possible.”

MrWeller confirmed the suspect is a pupil had been at the school for a year.

“All necessary resources are being deployed to investigate”