Terrifying images show armed officers storming Thorpe St Andrew School, Norwich, as schoolchildren hid under their desks after a violent incident involving a young girl
Armed officers were seen swooping on Thorpe St Andrew School, Norwich, today after a teenage girl was stabbed (Image: X)
Terrified pupils hid under their desks and texted their parents begging to go home as armed officers stormed their school today after a teenage girl was ‘stabbed’.
Terrifying images show firearms police storming a school before a 15-year-old boy was arrested just before 10.30am. Schoolchildren were ordered to hide and turn off their phones while teachers barricaded classroom doors when after reports that the girl had been injured.
Officers raced to the scene at Thorpe St Andrew School, Norwich, as around 100 parents gathered after hearing about the incident on social media. One parent was heard shouting: “Just f*****g let the kids out.” Another said: “If my son is under a table and someone’s coming with a knife, I want him to be aware they’re coming.” One pupil who made contact with their family sent a text reading “I am very scared”, while another sent a message saying they “just want to go home”.
Panicked parents raced to the school just after 10.30am after learning on social media about the stabbing(Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
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 said a 15-year-old boy was being quizzed on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. The teenage girl, understood to be a pupil at the school, was taken to the hospital with “minor injuries”.
Darren Evans, a father whose daughter is in Year 8, told the Eastern Daily Press: “The communication from the school has been shocking. If it were not for Facebook and the news, I would have had no idea what was going on. I last heard from my daughter an hour ago. There’s been a total lack of communication.”
The moment armed police swooped to arrest the teen suspect(Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
Another parent added: “To hear nothing from the school, it’s terrifying. Your mind sort of starts wheeling, you’ve got kids in the school, you don’t know what they want. To have no information whatsoever about what was going on, with all this going on in the world right now, your mind instantly goes to the worst.”
You automatically boot the worst, and think something horrendous has happened. I mean, it has. You automatically think it’s something a hell of a lot worse.”
A cordon was thrown up around the site and police confirmed a 16-year-old boy had been arrested (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)One teacher at the school said they had been told to stay in the classroom with pupils, telling ITV: “One of the things you practice, but never think you’ll do.” One Parent, Adam Howlett, said that he had still not heard from his daughter, despite his son saying he is still locked in his classroom.
He 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.
Police said the stabbing was “not believed to be linked” to reports of anti-semitic chants at an under-15 football match last week(Image: PA)
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 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.”
A statement from Broad Horizons Education Trust, which runs Thorpe St Andrew School, 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.”
