I was shocked and deeply saddened by the stabbing which took place at Tewkesbury Academy this Monday. No one should have to go through what the teacher and witnesses went through and my thoughts are with all who were caught up in the situation.
I should like to congratulate all those who helped with the situation, including the police, school staff, parents and anyone else who was there.
I am particularly pleased to see that the teacher, Jamie Sansom, has left hospital and is recovering from his injuries. I wish him well in that process.
Thankfully, such incidents are very rare and parents can feel that when they send their children to school that they will be attending places of safety, as well as places where they learn, take part in many activities and have fun. Teachers should also be able to feel the same safety.
However, it is only right that, following such incidents, we all assess what we can learn from them. I have spoken to the Chief Constable about the incident, and am keeping in touch with the police. I have also made contact with the head teacher, Ms Kathleen McGillycuddy and hope to visit the school later this week, whenever it is convenient to them. I have also spoken to the Home Secretary and Education Secretary if there are any steps which we should consider taking in order to increase the safely of pupils, teachers and other staff while they are in school. I will be holding further meetings with them once I have held further discussions with the police, school and others in the area.
Across the country, the government has made attempts to reduce knife crime and introduced legislation and other measures to help with this. The number of crimes committed involving offensive weapons have reduced over the last few years, and Gloucestershire is considered to be a relatively safe county in this respect, but we must continue to look to see if we can do more to deter the committing of such crimes.
For now, it is important to recreate the right kind of atmosphere at Tewkesbury Academy, and, without underestimating the magnitude of the task, I have no doubt that the teachers, staff, parents and pupils have sufficient professionalism and resilience to do just that. I stand ready to help in any way I can.