A 17-year-old boy has been taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder after three individuals were harmed with “a sharp object” at a secondary school in Sheffield.
Birley Academy initiated a lockdown on Wednesday morning when the teenager was apprehended after the attack, South Yorkshire Police reported.
The police also stated in a release: “Two adults were treated at the scene for minor injuries.
“A child was examined after being attacked.
“A 17-year-old boy has been detained on suspicion of attempted murder and is currently held by the police.”
Officers arrived at the scene responding to reports concerning an incident with a sharp object at the school on Birley Lane around 8:50 am.
The school enforced a lockdown and instructed parents to avoid coming to the school premises, reassuring them that all students and staff were secure. Later, students were seen meeting their parents as they exited the school, which was closed for the remainder of the day.
“This morning we enforced a lockdown as a precaution due to an incident at the school,” the school announced in a statement on X/Twitter.
“The decision to lockdown was not made lightly, but the safety of our students and staff is our utmost priority. Everyone is safe. We are in close communication with the police and will provide updates soon.”
Birley Academy is a secondary school located in the southeast of Sheffield, home to approximately 1,100 students.
It remains uncertain if the attack involved a knife, though police described the weapon as a “sharp object”.
One mother outside the school recounted to the BBC about receiving a message from her daughter that the school was “in lockdown, the lights were out, doors locked, and she was hiding under her desk”.
“It was incredibly frightening. I questioned if she was joking because the situation seemed so unreal,” she explained to the media.
“She has since told me she’s fine, and I feel somewhat relieved that she’s safe.”
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan expressed her concern over the incident at The Birley Academy.
In a statement on X, previously known as Twitter, she noted: “We are in contact with the school and my thoughts go out to those hurt and the entire school community impacted by this alarming event.”
