Mother of teenage woman stabbed at Norwich college reveals she was overseas at time of the assault and tells of ‘terrifying’ ordeal as she desperately tried to get updates on her situation

The mother of a fifteen-year-old girl who was stabbed in the back with a ‘carving knife’ at school has described the ‘terrifying’ ordeal as she was overseas at the time of the attack. 

Pupils were forced to switch off their phones and hide under desks during the incident at Thorpe St Andrew School, near Norwich, on March 11. 

The teenage girl was rushed to hospital with her injuries, while a 15-year-old boy was arrested and has since been charged with attempted murder. They are both pupils at the mixed state secondary.

The girl’s mother said she was left fearing for her daughter’s life after finding out she had been attacked while in another country, but was not told how badly. 

‘Words can’t express how you feel. You wish you just had superpowers to get home,’ she told the BBC. 

‘At first, I wasn’t really aware of whether my daughter was stable enough. I wasn’t getting the answers I should have. 

‘I understand everything was difficult, but not knowing how badly she had been attacked, whether or not she was still safe – or the other children – it was mind boggling, horrible.’ 

Meanwhile, the girl’s father said he was working somewhere with ‘zero signal’ as people tried to reach him with the news. 

Police vehicles at Thorpe St Andrew School on the outskirts of Norwich, Norfolk, on Wednesday morning 

When he finally managed to find a place where he could read his messages, his phone went ‘crazy’ with texts and calls informing him of the attack. 

The girl has since been discharged from hospital and is recovering from her injuries at home.  

Her father said that while the ‘school has done everything they can to help’, he does not feel comfortable with her going back full time yet.  

In a statement published last week, the school applauded the brave reaction from staff and students during the lockdown.

Owen Jenkins, chief executive officer at the Broad Horizons Education Trust, said: ‘We understand how worrying this event was for families and want to thank our students who coped so well.’ 

Prosecutor Josephine Jones said a number of 999 calls were made on Wednesday as the school went into lockdown, with armed police sent to the scene. 

She said ‘CCTV of the toilet area shows a male all in black wearing a black mask’ and carrying a ‘carving knife with a lengthy blade’.

Armed police swarmed the area after reports of a stabbing, sending the school into lockdown

She added: ‘The victim had been stabbed to the back.’

Ms Jones said the defendant is claimed to have fled but was arrested by police nearby. 

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was remanded in youth custody on Thursday. 

He wore a dark-coloured jumper and tracksuit bottoms as he appeared in the secure dock at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Friday, with three security officers.

He spoke only to confirm his name, address and date of birth.

The boy was not asked to enter pleas to charges of attempted murder and possession of a knife on school premises.

He is due to appear at Norwich Crown Court on April 10.