Girl college stabbing sufferer tells pals she is ‘alive and effectively’ in hospital – as police get extra time to query 15-year-old ‘white, British’ boy
The teenage girl stabbed in school by a 15-year-old boy has shared a photograph of herself recovering in hospital telling friends: ‘I’m alive and well.’
A friend of the victim posted a smiling selfie of the young girl in a hospital bed to reassure worried classmates that she was recovering.
She also revealed that she was the girl stabbed yesterday at Thorpe St Andrew school near Norwich, which prompted other pupils to hide under desks and turn off their phones while teachers barricaded classroom doors.
On social media, she wrote: ‘I’m just in hospital alive and well.’
In another post, she said: ‘One minute I’m seeing how my hair looks – next second disaster struck’.
According to posts on social media, the 15-year-old arrested by police is understood to have been a former pupil.
A superintendents’ custody extension has been granted to detectives this afternoon, giving them an additional 12 hours to question the boy. A police cordon remains in place on Pound Lane as officers continue their enquiries.
The boy is said to have moved to London but travelled to Norfolk yesterday afternoon and jumped over a school gate to look for her inside the school building.
The girl was said to have been attacked from behind and initially thought she had been punched before friends screamed when they saw blood running down her back.
This is the moment a 15-year-old boy is arrested by armed police after a teenage girl pupil is stabbed at school
Armed police were called to Thorpe St Andrew school near Norwich this morning as pupils were told to hide and turn off their phones while teachers barricaded classroom doors
The suspect was thought to have fled after jumping over a fence, before an arrest was made
Armed police were called to the school in Wynondham, Norfolk, at around 10.24am yesterday.
Around 100 parents arrived at the school grounds after hearing the reports on social media, pleading for more information.
Police drones were also on the scene as officers searched for the suspect, who is thought to have fled after jumping over a fence, before an arrest was made.
It’s understood that the suspect was on the run for more than an hour, with the arrest being made at around 11.30am.
Officers arrested the boy on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and have taken him to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.
The girl, believed to be a Year 10 pupil, was taken to the hospital with ‘minor injuries’.
Teachers are understood to have used items such as cabinets to barricade classroom doors with the school under lockdown for almost three hours.
One parent, Adam Howlett, said: ‘When it comes to your child even minor injuries are terrifying. You don’t expect to come to school and get injured. I’m just waiting to find out some news and put my mind at rest.’
Another parent, Shantelle Taylor, said she was ‘absolutely fuming’ to hear about the incident through a friend and not through the school.
Armed police race to the scene of the stabbing in Norwich today at around 10.24am
‘I have managed to get hold of my daughter even though she’s been told she is not even allowed to message me to tell me she’s okay which I think is absolutely ridiculous,’ she said.
The first pupils were let out of classrooms at around 1.20pm to be reunited with their parents, while students who were unable to leave straight away were held in the school hall.
The school, which was rated Good in its 2025 Ofsted inspection, is an 11-to-18 mixed secondary school which also includes a sixth form.
A statement from Broad Horizons Education Trust, of which the school is a part, said: ‘We have clear procedures in place and our staff acted swiftly, with the whole school going into lockdown with children staying in their classroom with their teacher.
‘One of our students was injured and is now being treated in hospital for minor injuries.
‘This has obviously been a distressing experience for our whole community and our focus now is on making sure all students feel supported as we begin to understand what happened.’
Norwich North MP, Alice Macdonald, described the incident as both ‘incredibly serious and deeply alarming.
Posting on X, she wrote: ‘Immediately, we need to give the police time to ensure that every child and adult at the school is safe.
‘My thoughts right now are with all of them, especially the victim who has been taken to hospital, and their families who will be extremely worried.
‘My office is trying to get the latest information to understand exactly what has happened. I will keep you updated as I learn anything.’
A Norfolk Police spokesperson said: ‘A boy has been arrested following an incident in Thorpe St Andrew.
‘Police were called to a school on Laundry Lane, Thorpe St Andrew at 10.24am this morning following reports that a teenage girl had been stabbed.
‘Emergency services attended the scene including fire and ambulance. The victim has been taken to hospital with minor injuries.
‘A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. He has been taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.
‘This incident is not believed to be linked to a hate crime reported at the same school last week.’
