- .Ann Maguire taught RE and Spanish at Corpus Christi Catholic College
- .Male pupil, 15, is said to have walked up and stabbed her in the neck
- .Alleged attacker is described as 'middle class pupil' and 'really weird'
- .Pupils say Mrs Maguire, 61, had given the boy a detention last week
- .Teenager said to have told peers teacher was 'always getting at him'
- .Chair of governors says 'no indications at all' that this would happen
- .Student says year seven and eights had to run and 'there was blood'
- .Thought to be first time a student has killed a teacher in UK classroom
- .Pupils praise Leeds mother as 'great', 'inspirational woman' and 'lovely'
- .She was due to retire in just weeks, but died from multiple stab wounds
- .Witnesses say pupil stabbed before dropping knife on floor and running
The headmaster at the school where a teacher was stabbed to death in front of her horrified class by a pupil praised her today for ‘touching the hearts of three generations of pupils’.
Traumatised staff and children arrived early to add tributes to the 200 bouquets of flowers outside on the railings - and said prayers for Mrs Maguire as they struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.
Today, Steve Mort, headmaster of Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, said Ann Maguire was soon to retire and she considered her work at the school as a ‘vocation’, rather than a career.
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Victim: Anne Maguire (left), who was stabbed to death at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds. Her husband Don Maguire leaves the family home today (right)
Shrine of flowers: Schoolchildren arrive at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, West Yorkshire
With pupils: Married with two grown-up daughters, Ann Maguire was a caring Spanish teacher known as 'the mother of her school'
Help: A woman hugs a boy outside Corpus Christi College in Leeds, where Mrs Maguire was stabbed to death
Mr Mort told Sky News: 'Ann Maguire was a wonderful, caring individual. She'd been a cornerstone of the school community for 40 years. She'd touched the hearts of three generations of pupils.
'Ann was first and foremost highly aspirational for all our students, regardless of their background or their ability. She never gave up on pupils, even [when] they may have given up on themselves.
'She was always the first to look at the strengths of pupils, to find the strengths of pupils, and to encourage them to develop their God-given skills.
A 15-year-old boy walked up behind Mrs Maguire, 61, during a Spanish lesson in front of 30 pupils yesterday and repeatedly stabbed her in the neck and back with a kitchen knife.
Morgan Summers, a pupil at the school, said after leaving this afternoon that today had been ‘shocking’ and ‘really upsetting’, with students ‘making cards at school rather than working’.
She told Sky News: ‘She wasn't so far from retiring, so we'd never thought this would happen. We're still with her. We know that it isn't just one person caring about her - so many people.
‘We know that as soon as it's all done and over with she's still with us. She was my Spanish teacher and she was really nice. She always made us laugh.’
A quarter of the pupils were not in school today. Witnesses claimed the pupil who stabbed the teacher in front of the class then dropped the knife on the floor and ran out into the corridor.
Support: Three girls hold each other as they remember Mrs Maguire outside Corpus Christi Catholic College
Respects: The scene outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, where Mrs Maguire was stabbed
Tears: Flowers and tributes are left by former pupil Carrie Beer with her son Nicolas, three, at Corpus Christi College
One pupil said: ‘It was really quiet today. Nobody was speaking. It was so sad. It has not been as happy as it usually is. There have been a lot of tears.
‘If you felt overwhelmed in class you were allowed to leave for a couple of moments to go out and talk about it. But we got on with it today, and got through it. We all got through it because that's what Miss would have wanted.
She added: ‘I believe that when it happened half of the class were in the language lab and half were in the classroom. Mrs Maguire was helping someone when he came behind her and stabbed her. Mrs Maguire fell onto another female Spanish teacher.’
A teacher then allegedly managed to stop the running teenager as he left the room.
'It was really quiet today. Nobody was speaking. It was so sad. It has not been as happy as it usually is. There have been a lot of tears'
Female pupil
Younger schoolchildren emerged from the school clutching drawings of their own tributes that they added to the many messages, flowers and candles that lined the gates.
They attached drawings of love hearts and photos mounted on sugar paper that they made when they visited the chapel this afternoon.
The attack is thought to be the first time a teacher has been stabbed by a pupil in a UK classroom. It comes 18 years after headmaster Philip Lawrence was stabbed to death outside his school.
Outside the school today, Monsignor Paul Fisher, from the next-door Corpus Christi Catholic Church, said Mrs Maguire was remembered at a normal morning mass.
Hundreds of pupils, former students and their parents packed the church last night to light candles and pay their respects to Mrs Maguire, who was just weeks away from retiring.
Last day: Former pupil Lucy Potter (left) left flowers at the scene and a photo of Mrs Maguire and her (right)
Placed: As school finished for the day, pupils of Corpus Christi Catholic College lay more tributes at the gates
Remembrance: Monsignor Paul Fisher conducts mass for members of the local community attending Corpus Christ Catholic Church to pray and pay their respects to teacher Anne Maguire in Leeds
Reading: A woman looks at one of the many tributes left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds
As Mrs Maguire was being attacked, a fellow teacher raced in and grabbed the boy. Other staff helped to detain him until police arrived.
One unnamed female pupil said outside the school: 'All the kids had run out of the classroom and he still had the knife. And all the year seven and year eights, they had to run.
'It was proper bad with blood and that. She was brilliant. She has taught my mum and my sister and me, she taught us all Spanish. She took us all skiing - we just couldn't ask for anyone better.’
'All the kids had run out of the classroom and he still had the knife. And all the year seven and year eights, they had to run. It was proper bad with blood and that'
Another unnamed female pupil
Martin Dowling, chair of governors at the school, said today: 'Ann was a wonderful and dedicated teacher, and will be remembered fondly by all of us.
‘She had taught at Corpus Christi for 40 years and touched the lives of many people in the local community, having also taught the parents of some of our current pupils.
‘She had taught at Corpus Christi for 40 years and touched the lives of many people in the local community, having also taught the parents of some of our current pupils.
'I would also like to pay tribute to the staff and students for the way they have coped with this tragic event, and to the police, and external services for their support.’
He added: 'Our school mission statement states that we "work, learn, pray and grow together". At this difficult time we also grieve and support together as a community.
'The atmosphere is very calm and reverent. The children have been absolutely amazing - we've had assemblies, services and the children have responded in a magnificent manner, as have the staff.
Paying their respects: Corpus Christi School headteacher Steve Moat, the headgirl and headboy walk to Corpus Christ Catholic Church to lay flowers
Departure: Mr Moat and the two pupils leave the church after laying flowers in honour of Mrs Maguire
Morning: Flowers and tributes are left by staff and pupils arriving at Corpus Christi College in Leeds
Reading: Flowers are left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds this morning
‘Obviously very upset in some cases, but happy to be in their own community and helping each other.’ He added that there had been ‘no indications at all' that this would happen.
Mr Mort said: 'I last spoke to Ann just after the staff briefing yesterday morning and found Ann to be her usual self - she was bubbly, she was a character who enjoyed being in the school community.
'She felt comfortable with staff and with colleagues. She was particularly happy at the moment of the wonderful learning environment that we've had as a result of the refurbishment of the buildings.
'She was enjoying the latter end of her career, although I know to Ann that her service to Corpus Christi was not a career - she considered it to be a vocation'
Steve Mort, headteacher
'She was enjoying the latter end of her career, although I know to Ann that her service to Corpus Christi was not a career - she considered it to be a vocation.'
He added that Mrs Maguire would have 'strongly opposed' any idea that pupils should have to pass through metal detectors as they arrive at school.
And Detective Superintendent Simon Beldon, of West Yorkshire Police, said the teenager will be questioned by officers ‘at some point during today’.
He told reporters: ‘Given his young age, this is a process which needs to be handled very sensitively, and may take some time to complete.
‘The pupils who witnessed this incident are still being interviewed by specialist officers who are very experienced in dealing with child witnesses and will ensure that their safety is paramount.
‘This is clearly an unprecedented and tragic incident which has left the school and wider community in a state of shock.’
Outside the school: Pupils of the much-loved teacher who was stabbed to death are remembering her
Tributes: Flowers are left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, after Mrs Maguire was stabbed
Remembered: Flowers are left outside Corpus Christi Catholic College as pupils make their way to the school
A tearful year nine pupil named 'Mitchell' told Sky News today: 'She was always smiling - even in the worst of times. Yesterday, she was in a fantastic mood, she gave me good marks for my work.
‘She was the best teacher you could ask for. It's hard, it really is, that I'm not going to see her again. To go back into the school where she taught you, it's what she would have wanted us to do.
'She was a really good teacher. I wouldn't be able to speak a word of Spanish if it wasn't for her. She taught a really good lesson. Not just the Spanish, she taught us how to be good people - and she was just a friend more than anything else. She was like a mum to me.’
'This is clearly an unprecedented and tragic incident which has left the school and wider community in a state of shock'
Detective Superintendent Simon Beldon, West Yorkshire Police
The middle class alleged attacker, who was described as an ‘outcast’, has a picture of the Grim Reaper on his Facebook page.
Mrs Maguire was taken to hospital by paramedics after the attack, at around 11.45am. But she was declared dead on arrival. The murder scene is only within the classroom where she was stabbed.
Married with two grown-up daughters, Mrs Maguire was a caring Spanish teacher known as ‘the mother of her school’.
Fellow pupils said she had given the boy a detention last week and he told other pupils she was ‘always getting at him’.
Children at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds were seen in tears as they were collected by their parents later in the afternoon, after learning of Mrs Maguire’s death.
Nuns based at Corpus Christi Church, opposite the school, were seen comforting pupils in the hours after the killing.
Arriving: Nuns walk into the school in Leeds, as police continue to question a 15-year-old boy about the attack
Death: Spanish teacher Mrs Maguire was taken to hospital for treatment but subsequently pronounced dead
Respected: Pupils took to Twitter to describe Mrs Maguire as an 'inspirational woman' and 'lovely'. One said: 'You were such a caring, funny and hardworking teacher. You'll certainly be missed'
Dancer: It emerged today that one of Mrs Maguire's daughters, Emma Jane (pictured), who celebrated her 30th birthday on Saturday, is a soloist with the Royal Ballet and has starred in productions including The Nutcracker
Monsignor Fisher said: ‘It's obviously a very difficult time. We're having our normal service this morning and obviously we're going to be remembering her.
‘Our administrator is in the school now, offering what support we can to the staff and the students.
'What you see here is everybody helping each other - the community and the school coming together. I think you see from the tributes that have been paid what an impact she had on this school'
Monsignor Paul Fisher, Corpus Christi Catholic Church
‘What you see here is everybody helping each other - the community and the school coming together. I think you see from the tributes that have been paid what an impact she had on this school.’
The Most Rev Malcolm McMahon, Archbishop-elect of Liverpool and chairman of the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales, spoke of his shock and sadness over the death of Mrs Maguire.
‘I was shocked and saddened to hear of Anne Maguire's death yesterday,’ he said in a statement.
‘My prayers, and those of every Catholic parish and school in England and Wales, will be with her family and friends, the staff and students of Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, and all who have been affected in any way by this senseless tragedy.
‘Anne gave her life to the college and Catholic education, and thousands of young people have benefited from her kindness and hard work over many years. May she rest in peace.’
Address: Martin Dowling of Corpus Christi Catholic College's governing body speaks to the press outside
Police on scene: The fatal stabbing took place at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Belief: A nun comforts a former pupil in Corpus Christi Catholic Church - which is adjacent to the college
'You was the best teacher': Two tributes left at the school - both of which describe Mrs Maguire as 'caring'
The alleged killer comes from a respectable middle-class family. His mother works as a human resources manager for a local firm and his father is a council executive.
A 16-year-old classmate described the teenager as having few friends, saying he had been bullied previously and taken anti-depressants.
The boy was an ‘A grade pupil’ but he disliked Spanish and could not stand the teacher.
Police described the attack as ‘unprecedented’. Screams were heard through the school, which has pupils aged from 11 to 16. The building was put in ‘lockdown’ when police arrived at the scene.
However, it quickly became clear there was no threat to other children and the suspect was taken into custody.
A woman whose cousin’s daughter was in his class at the time of the attack said: ‘He had been given a detention a few days earlier and he had told classmates that she had “kept on getting at him”.
'Always in our hearts': Floral and written tributes are pictured outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds
Image: A photograph of teacher Anne Maguire (left) who was fatally stabbed sits with floral tributes in Leeds
'You will never be forgotton': The scene outside Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds today
‘Another girl I know said she could hear the screaming from the upstairs class. A teacher heard the noise and ran in and grabbed him.’
Pupil Jacob Hill, 16, who had known the alleged attacker since primary school, said: ‘He had gone through stages of depression and used to be on anti-depressants. He is really clever and always got top grades.’
The boy was said to have previously been suicidal. Other pupils described him as ‘really weird’.
By contrast, Mrs Maguire was a highly regarded professional who had taught Spanish to two generations of children in Leeds.
Pupils took to Twitter to describe Mrs Maguire as 'great', an 'inspirational woman' and 'lovely'. One said: 'You were such a caring, funny and hardworking teacher. You'll certainly be missed.'
Pupils began leaving flowers at the school gate, with the message attached to the first bunch reading: 'To a special teacher. We was all sad about it. I will never forget you.'
Gathering: The local community attend Corpus Christi Catholic Church to pay their respects to Mrs Maguire
Memory: Flower tributes were left outside the school, pictured, with one card from a pupil reading: 'A special teacher. We was all sad about it. RIP I will never forget you'
Kerrianne Ayward, 17, said: ‘She was just lovely. She was helpful and caring and you could have a laugh with her. She was always there for you, even if she didn't know you very well.'
Kerrianne, who left the school two years ago, said: ‘She's been my referee for everything, college, everything. There's no one else you would go to who's better. She was the heart of the school.’
Another former pupil, Peter Masefield, 18, said: ‘I just can't understand why her. Of all people. She was the school's figurehead.’
Laying flowers, former pupil Aine Arnold, 17, said: 'It's more like losing a family member than losing a teacher. As long as we were happy, she was happy. She would do anything for you.
'She helped me personally a lot. She's going to be such a loss to the school. Hers were one of those lessons you didn't want to miss. She was just lovely. She was wonderful. I am devastated.'
Former pupil Marianna Proietti told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘The way I'm feeling at the moment, we know it's happened but we can't believe it's happened. We're all in a state of shock.
Respect: Another tribute from several pupils at the school said: 'Thanks for everything Mrs Maguire'
Taking a look: A woman and child examine floral tributes left at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds
Difficult time: School children walk past floral tributes as they arrive for school at Corpus Christi Catholic College
‘She was a pillar of the school but she was also an inspiration to so many students who went to Corpus Christi. Thirty years down the line I still remember her very fondly. It was a very close knit-school.
‘You had your bickering like with any other school, but the amount of trouble at Corpus Christi was very limited. There wasn't much fighting. It was a very good school. She encouraged you to follow your dreams.’
Writing on the website RateMyTeachers.com, one former pupil said: 'She's like the school's own mother! Can be very strict but if you're nice to her she will always be there for you, a great woman!'
Another added: 'I think she's a good head of year, she's always there if you need someone to talk to :)'
West Yorkshire Police Chief Superintendent Paul Money said yesterday: ‘The alarm was raised by the students in the school, some of whom witnessed the offence.
‘A 61-year-old member of staff was treated by paramedics at the scene then taken to hospital but she tragically died.
‘A 15-year-old pupil at the school was detained by teaching staff immediately after this incident occurred and was taken into custody in Leeds.’
Memorial: More flowers left at the school boundaries - with one tribute reading 'our thoughts are with you'
'Dedicated': Another message to the teacher read: 'RIP Mrs Maguire you were such an inspirational woman'
In memory: Aine Arnold, a pupil aged 17, pays tribute to the RE teacher by laying flowers at the school gates
He described the incident as unprecedented and said staff he had spoken to were in shock. He also confirmed the victim suffered a number of stab wounds and a knife was recovered from the scene.
The school, which is a specialist technology college, is consistently oversubscribed - and also has 'a strong Christian and community ethos'.
'I just can't understand why her. Of all people. She was the school's figurehead'
Peter Masefield, former pupil
Its website says: 'The school has a very good pastoral structure, which it is committed to keeping and teachers receive very good back-up support.'
There are nearly 1,000 pupils aged between 11 and 16, and 62 teachers are listed as working there - as well as various academic support staff.
Detective Superintendent Simon Beldon said: ‘We would like to reassure people that this has been an isolated incident and there is no ongoing risk to pupils or staff at the school.
‘The situation is under control and officers, including safer schools officers and members of the local neighbourhood policing team, are currently at the school and are liaising closely with staff.
Sadness: Two nuns comfort a grieving woman as they walk together at the scene
Shock: A parent comforts a child. One pupil wrote online Mrs Maguire was 'like the school's own mother'
Outside: Pupils remained at the school in the afternoon as police said it 'continued to operate as normal'
Report: The media gather outside the school for a police statement
Thoughts: Prime Minister David Cameron today tweeted his condolences to Mrs Maguire's family
'The rest of the school is continuing to operate as normal and we would ask that parents do not attend the site unless directly requested to do so by the school.
'THE BEST TEACHER IN THE WORLD'
Nichola Davies, 34, broke down as she tried to explain why she had driven 40 miles from Goole to pay her respects.
Mrs Davies, who left the school in 1996, said: 'She was just amazing. She was such an incredible lady. It's just so heartbreaking, it really is.'
Others laying flowers hugged each other as they placed notes against the metal railings.
Former pupil Nathan Mulenga, 18, described Mrs Maguire as 'the best teacher in the world'.
He said: ‘Miss Maguire taught me Spanish for five years while I was at the school and she was such a great teacher. She also taught religious education and she was my head of year at the school.
‘When I left in 2012 she always said she would help me and my friends in the future if ever we needed anything.
‘I went to college after leaving the school and she was the one who gave me a reference. she cared about everyone even after they left school. It's absolutely devastating to hear that she's gone.’
Pupils who respected Mrs Maguire had posted on Rate My Teacher to describe her as 'the school's own mother'.
And on Twitter, Lucy Melia said: ‘Everybody has got nothing but pure love for Mrs Maguire. Still haven't met anyone else like her. She was the heart of that school.’
Charlene Rue posted: ‘Cannot get over this. She didn't deserve this at all. One of the nicest teachers, who would have done anything for students. RIP Mrs Maguire.’
‘Our enquiries are at a very early stage but the full circumstances of this incident will obviously be the subject of a full and thorough investigation.’
A delegation of officials from Leeds City Council arrived at the school today, saying they were there to offer whatever support was necessary.
Tom Riordon, the authority's chief executive, said: ‘We're here to pay our respects to a wonderful teacher on behalf of the members and officers of Leeds City Council.
‘We're about to go in and see people in the school and show our support.’
Judith Blake, the council's executive member for children's services, said she supported the school's decision to open and insisted it was safe.
She said: ‘This is a very tragic incident. They have someone in custody; there is no risk coming to the school today. The school is safe.’
Dr Elizabeth Capewell, specialist in community trauma recovery, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘Many people, their place of safety and normality has rather changed in a day.
‘So they're going to have to come to terms with their emotions around that. As a head, it's always difficult to know whether to carry on as normal or give people a few days off.
‘But, in my experience, if pupils and staff can be contained in the environment they know, the work can begin. This is where you need really strong leadership.’
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: 'This is a truly awful thing to have happened to a teacher in the course of her work to educate the next generation.
'Appalling events like this are thankfully very rare indeed but the death of any teacher in her place of work, which should be a place of safety, is devastating.
'Our condolences go to the family and friends of this teacher, and to students and colleagues at the school. The NUT will provide any help and assistance we can possibly offer to Corpus Christi Catholic College and its community.’
Location: There are nearly 1,000 pupils on the roll at the college (location pictured) aged between 11 and 16, and 62 teachers are listed as working there
Scene: Investigating fficers speak with pupils and teachers outside the school
Inquiry: Police gather outside the school to investigate the scene
Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, added: ‘We are shocked and saddened to hear the news that a teacher has been stabbed to death at Corpus Christi Catholic College in Leeds.
'Our thoughts are with her family, her colleagues and the students of the school. Teachers carry a great weight for our society and we owe them so much.
'It is terrible that they should be asked to pay this price too. We know that the close community of schools in Leeds will rally round to offer colleagues their support.’
'This is a truly awful thing to have happened to a teacher in the course of her work to educate the next generation'
Christine Blower, National Union of Teachers general secretary
Pupil Georgina Kilroy, 16, said the woman had been a teacher for 40 years. Speaking outside the school, she said: ‘I don't know anyone who didn't like her. She was spot on. You couldn't ask for a better teacher.’
Georgina said her teacher broke down when she told the children the news. She said that before then they were told a teacher had gone to hospital but lessons continued.
Hilary Benn, Labour MP for Leeds Central, described the incident as ‘profoundly saddening’ but said he was not in favour of stringent security measures that would keep staff and pupils ‘behind high fences’.
He told BBC News: ‘Most people are good and most people try and do the right thing.
‘This is not representative of the college, of the community that surrounds it, the families that send their children to school and the city itself. But it is profoundly saddening.’
Officers: Police stand outside Corpus Christi Catholic College, where a 15-year-old boy has been arrested
Aerial view: The Corpus Christi Catholic College (pictured)
Website: The school, a specialist technology college, is consistently oversubscribed - and has 'a strong Christian and community ethos'. There is no suggestion that anyone above was involved in the incident
He added: ‘Schools are places of learning. We want our schools to be open - we don't want to lock pupils and staff behind high fences.’ Downing Street described the stabbing as ‘appalling’.
‘The Prime Minister's thoughts are very much with the victim's relatives as well as the entire school community there, which I'm sure will be deeply shocked,’ the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.
In an Ofsted inspection last year the school received an overall rating of two, meaning it requires improvement compared with three or good in a previous inspection.
'The Prime Minister's thoughts are very much with the victim's relatives as well as the entire school community there, which I'm sure will be deeply shocked'
Spokesman for David Cameron
Areas singled out for improvement included quality of teaching, achievement of pupils and leadership and management. The behaviour and safety of pupils was the only main area of assessment rated as being good.
In its summary of key findings, Ofsted said teaching did not consistently ensure that pupils were making good progress.
It said GCSE results had fluctuated and pupils were not given the opportunity to learn independently.
However, inspectors praised pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and said behaviour was good both in the classroom and around the school.
SCHOOL HEADTEACHER PHILIP LAWRENCE MURDERED IN 1995
School headteacher Philip Lawrence was murdered in 1995 when he attempted to protect one of his pupils from being attacked by a street gang.
The 48-year-old was hit over the head with an iron bar, kicked and then stabbed through the heart, outside St George's Roman Catholic School in Maida Vale, north-west London.
The fatal blow was struck by 15-year-old Learco Chindamo, who had denied the crime but was convicted and jailed for a minimum of 12 years in 1996.
Previous case: In 1995, headmaster Philip Lawrence (left) was stabbed when he intervened in a fight outside his school, St George’s in Maida Vale, London, and later died. His killer was Learco Chindamo (right)
He was the leader of a Triad-inspired gang of mainly Filipino students who wanted to ‘punish’ a 13-year-old student after he quarrelled with one of them.
Mr Lawrence saw the boy being hit with a metal bar, but was murdered when he intervened. It later emerged Chindamo had bragged to a friend in an amusement arcade that he had ‘killed a teacher’.
‘I’ve turned around as he’s tapped me on the shoulder and I’ve stabbed him in the chest,’ he said. Just 12 days before he stabbed Mr Lawrence, he had attacked a passer-by with a beer bottle.
1,000 pupils caught with deadly weapons in three years: 80 were at primary school - including eight-year-old with a knife
Eleven years ago: Luke Walmsley was murdered with a knife at school in rural Lincolnshire in 2003
Almost 1,000 schoolchildren have been caught with lethal weapons such as guns, knives, axes and hammers in just three years, it was revealed earlier this month.
Two pupils a day are having weapons confiscated by police on school premises, including children as young as eight.
The results of Freedom of Information requests to the UK’s 52 police forces show that officers confiscated 981 weapons – including handguns, air guns, knuckledusters, crowbars and lead piping from pupils between 2011 and 2013.
Eighty of the youngsters were primary school pupils, including an eight-year-old caught carrying a knife.
The figures, from an investigation by Sky News, showed 329 pupils were charged with a criminal offence after having weapons confiscated. A stun gun, an axe and a cut-throat razor were among the weapons they were carrying.
The parents of Luke Walmsley, who was murdered with a knife at school in rural Lincolnshire in 2003, said a culture of violence persisted around the country.
Jayne Walmsley, whose son was 14 when he was stabbed during a break in lessons, described the figures as ‘really shocking’. She added: ‘We need to think and educate these kids. It’s got to stop.’
‘But sometimes it feels a little bit like you are banging your head on a brick wall. Especially when schools now won’t admit to the problem because all they want is more pupils for more money.’
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