Police were called to Kingsbury High School, Brent, north-west London, at 12.40pm on Tuesday, to reports that a 13-year-old boy was stabbed, and found a 12-year-old boy had also been stabbed
Security at schools could be bolstered following the stabbing of two boys in a north-west London school, the schools minister has suggested.
Police were called to Kingsbury High School, Brent, north-west London, at 12.40pm on Tuesday, to reports that a 13-year-old boy was stabbed. When they arrived at the scene, officers found a 12-year-old boy who had also been stabbed.
Asked whether children should get training on terrorism incidents in school, Georgia Gould, the Minister for School Standards, said: “This is obviously something that’s going to cause a lot of concern for families, but there is already a huge amount of work going on to prevent knife violence, working with teachers, working with schools, to ensure that they that are safe places.
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“But in light of what’s happened today, we will look into what’s happened, the investigation, and if there’s more that needs to be done, we won’t hesitate to do that.” Police said a 13-year-old had been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
An MP in a north London constituency Ms Gould also said it was an “absolutely horrendous incident” that had “sent shockwaves through the community”. She added: “All of our thoughts are with the two young victims and and their families.”
However, Ms Gould ruled out the Government installing metal detectors in schools. Asked about so-called knife arches, she told BBC Breakfast: “It’s not something that we’re looking at at the moment, but we are taking action on knife violence and in a whole range of ways, in terms of training, in terms of investment, in terms of support for young people.”
According to reports, the offender “climbed over a wall” to gain entry to the school and one of the victims alerted teachers to the attack by pulling the fire alarm. Speaking at the school, Detective Chief Superintendent Luke Williams said the investigation is being led by officers from counter terrorism policing, but has not currently been declared a terrorist incident.
Earlier Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts and prayers were with the two children stabbed in the “shocking attack”. She posted on X: “A shocking attack at Kingsbury High School, where two children have been stabbed. My thoughts and my prayers are with them, their families and all those affected. The police have arrested the suspect, and I would like to thank them for their rapid work in doing so. We must now give them the space to pursue their investigation.”
Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt thanked the emergency services and school staff for their “swift response”, adding: “This is a deeply shocking and distressing incident, and our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been injured, their families and the whole school community.”